We Were There: Emmeline's Story
by zealprophet27
Summary: I was one of five women chosen to serve our country, fighting side by side with the men, and only some of us had come home. Being surrounded by friends and enemies, having to choose who you can save, who you can love, and how to survive is something they couldn't have prepared us for. My name is Emmeline Banks, and I served in WWII in the Airborne. This is my story.
1. The Meeting

**A/N: Hello all! This is my second BoB fanfic. This is something completely different from my other story, and I hope that you will enjoy this as much as the other. **

**This is a story that I had written with completely different people not in the BoB world, but changed it to fit, so that I could see how people liked it. It was orginally written with five different points of view (because there are five different female protagonists). Because only one of the characters is in the Airborne, I am only going to post that character's story, unless the readers want to read the others, I might consider it. And...I'm rambling!**

**Reviews are most welcome and they make for happy days! Enjoy!**

**And as always, I only own my characters, nothing more.**

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It was a rainy September afternoon in the Colorado capital, when I was driven up to the fancy hotel that stood in the middle of the city. When the car was parked, I glanced briefly at my reflection in the window of the car. White hair, wrinkles, heavy dark bags under my eyes...boy, I've gotten old.

My driver opened my door, allowing the cold wet air to come rushing into the car. I shivered from the damp air. I pulled my shawl closer around my frail body as I took the extended hand from my driver as I exited the car. He held an umbrella over my head, as he closed the door behind me. He turned back to me, letting me hold onto his arm for balance as he escorted me into the lobby of this grand hotel.

When we entered, I looked around the inside of this magnificent place. It was pretty and clearly updated from the last time that I had seen it. To their credit, I was only a young girl when I first saw it, so...it could be my memory.

My driver had gone to the desk in the lobby to speak about where I was to go. I was there to meet with a nice young man, who had called and asked me to come in to talk about my experiences during the war.

I was led down the hallway to one of the many conference rooms inside the hotel. The smell of fresh coffee filled my nostrils and I began to warm by just the thought of drinking a nice cup. We turned into the conference room, and I took a seat facing the door.

My driver looked at me kindly before asking, "Shall I get you some coffee?"

I smiled kindly at him. "That would be lovely, thank you."

He smiled back and left to fulfill his offer. I sat there in the boring conference room alone. I wasn't sure what this individual would want from me but I was scared.

It has been a very long time since I had spoken about what I went through, who I had met, who I had seen get killed, and yet, here I am, about to break that silence. I didn't know how to begin and I wasn't prepared. I just hoped that my caller would understand.

The door opened and in walked a nice young man with two cups of steaming coffee. He must have run into my driver. I smiled as soon as he extended one of the cups to me. I took it from him with my wrinkled and shaky hands. He sat down across from me and stated, "It's a real honor to meet you, Mrs. Palmer."

I inhaled the rich aroma before suggesting, "Please, call me Emmeline."

The man smiled back. He exclaimed, "Emmeline. I must say that I am just...excited that you have agreed to meet with me today to share your story."

"I must ask, why the sudden interest?" I pondered.

He set his cup down and explained, "I've always had an interest. To be honest with you, I didn't think any of you had survived. The other veterans never mentioned you or the others. It took a lot of digging and searching to be able to discover that some of you did survive the war."

I smiled, cupping the warm mug in my hands. I replied, "No, I suspect that they wouldn't have. You see, they were protective of us. Even to this day, I suppose. Back in those days, it was considered inappropriate for young women, such as myself, to go to war. No one could fathom the idea...I think in today's society, it would be even more difficult to digest that this even happened."

The young man nodded, leaning back into his chair. He stated, "I am hoping to change all of that."

"By listening to the ramblings of an old woman?" I smiled at him.

He nodded, with a smirk. "Yes, ma'am."

When I stared into my coffee thinking of what to say and where to begin, he asked me kindly, "Is there anything that I can bring you? Anything to make you more comfortable?"

"No, thank you, dear." I set my cup down on the table before me.

He pushed play on his recorder that he withdrew from his pocket. He set it down on the table and stated, "Take as much time as you need. Start where you'd like, and let me know when you're ready for a break."

I swallowed, exhaling deeply. This was it. I thought for a moment before replying quietly, "I guess the best place to start is at the beginning..."

I took in a breath and started, "I was one of five nurses chosen to be part of this great moment in our history. It was said that if this were to work, there would be more nurses introduced into this field. We were selected based according to our age, our physical endurance, and our knowledge of medicine. The military placed us into five different areas of their divisions. Regiment, Home Base, Seaborne, Armored and Airborne. I was selected to be in the Airborne, more specifically, Easy Company."


	2. How It Started

I stepped out of the med station that I had training at with the other four nurses. Our nursing training had concluded for the day, and I was eager to get something to eat, since I was stuck in training past breakfast and lunch was soon to be over.

I started to head to the mess hall when I heard some commotion from across the yard. I looked over my left shoulder and saw Sobel yelling at the men while they stood there in full gear. I realized what was going on and I was in trouble. The men took off for their barracks when Sobel had turned to walk away from them. His beady eyes immediately landed on me.

"Hey Em!" a friendly voice behind me shouted.

My eyes tore away from the angry Sobel as he was still making his way across the yard to me. I looked over to see my good friend, Darla, walking toward me.

Darla was assigned to be the nurse to work at the Home Base, wherever that was going to be. She would be perfect for that position as she would be able to be the mother to the wounded, and keep track of the rest of us as she did already.

Darla was the first person that I had become friends with. She didn't mind that I was from a different background, or in her words, painfully shy and always trying to do the right thing. I didn't really believe that description of me, but she probably saw things about myself that I didn't. She and I had a deep bond that the other nurses didn't have. I was fortunate enough to have her to lean on, just like a mother would be.

She walked up to me and asked, "Are you coming to lunch?"

I stammered, "I-I...I think, I'm-" I couldn't get the words out in time.

"Nurse Banks!" the angry Sobel, clearly closer shouted at me.

Darla's eyes grew wide suddenly knowing what was about to happen. I turned away from her to look at Sobel. I responded, "Yes, sir?"

Sobel stopped and glared at me. He demanded, "Why were you not with the men this afternoon?"

I swallowed as I replied, "I was in the med station, sir."

"Why were you there?" Sobel asked, inching closer to me. He made me nervous, not to mention uncomfortable. I was always afraid of what he might do to me.

I spoke almost in a whisper, "For training, sir."

Sobel towered over me causing more tension. "That's no excuse, Nurse Banks. Change into your PT gear. We're running Currahee."

As he started to walk away, Darla spoke up, "Sir? We've been in training all day at the med station. She hasn't eaten since last night."

I tried to quiet her as I didn't want her to get into trouble on account of me, especially with Sobel.

Sobel turned on his heels, approaching her. He asked, "Is that so, Nurse Sanderson? Are you asking me to relieve her for the afternoon?"

Darla stood her ground and said firmly, "I am, sir."

Sobel laughed as he explained, "Well, I deny your request. If I let her off for the afternoon, how would that look to the other men?"

He looked back at me and questioned, "Why are you still here?"

I looked from him to Darla before I ran back to my barracks to change. I knew that he was going to make me suffer due to Darla's protectiveness and I needed to talk to her about that.

I knew that she was only trying to help as she always did, but I needed her to stop for my sake. I loved Darla and she took the role of the mother figure easily. It might have had something to due with the fact that she was the eldest of the five of us, but sometimes I think she forgets that we are in the military now. Things were different here.

I burst through the door of the barracks scaring the other girls in there. They gave me their startled shrieks as I darted passed them to start changing.

"What's the rush, Em?" my friend Charlotte asked as I tossed my boots to the floor.

Charlotte was assigned to Regiment. She was the prettiest, I thought, out of all of us. I think the men up at Regiment thought so too, as she was chosen to be behind the lines with them; safe and out of the way. I loved Charlotte as she was always the voice of reason, maybe not to the extent of Darla, but she thought like us and always told us when to stop and think. I don't know how I would have survived training without her, as she was like my conscious.

I threw the trunk lid open, digging through it, looking for my PT gear. I explained to the startled girls, "I've got to run Currahee."

"Now?" Charlotte protested, "It's supposed to storm!"

I tossed the found clothes onto my cot, and started to strip. I explained, "Yeah, well...I think that Sobel doesn't care."

I looked at her and joked, "I hope I get struck by lightning."

"That's not funny," a new voice spoke.

I turned to see who it was as I pulled my shirt over my head. It was Anne.

Anne was placed in the Seaborne. We thought it was silly that she was training with us here in Georgia, instead of being with the rest of the men in the Navy. She didn't mind being separated, and she tried to make the most of everyday. We think that she did that because she had the greatest risk of being killed when the time came. I felt bad for her and her position. She was a very serious person when it came to the safety of those around her but she knew when to relax and have a good time and we loved her for that.

I finished dressing into my PT gear and pulled my boots back on. My hands shook as I tried to tie my boots as quickly as possible. I didn't need Sobel on my back again for being late.

Just as I started to run out of the barracks, I bumped into Sarah, who shouted at me, "Hey! Watch it!"

Sarah was the youngest of all of us. She had lied about her age, as most of us had, and she was placed in the Armored Division. I think that Regiment knew that she was younger than she led others to believe and they placed her in the one unit they thought would be safest. We shook our heads at the idea of the Armored Division being safer than Regiment or Home Base but we couldn't argue. We were women and we were nurses. In the world of men, we were no one of importance or influence.

"Sorry! I can't talk!" I shouted back to her as I stumbled out the door. I ran as fast as I could to catch up with the rest of the guys. I looked up into the sky and saw that Charlotte was right. There was a storm, a big one, building. The whole sky was black as night and it looked like it was moving in fast.

"Emmeline? What are you doing here?" a soft spoken voice asked me.

I turned around and was standing in front of Lieutenant Winters. I saluted, which got a laugh from him. "Sir."

"Emmeline, you know that you don't have to do that. What are you doing here?" he asked me again.

I replied, "Lieutenant Sobel ordered me to join you."

Dick looked at me concerned. He questioned, "Have you eaten anything today?"

I shook my head, tucking a section of my light hair behind my ear as I replied truthfully, "No, sir."

Dick walked beside me. He stated, "You've been stuck at the med station, haven't you?"

I nodded as I answered, "Yes. Darla tried to bail me out but Sobel lashed out at her. I think he really hates me."

Dick shook his head as he explained, "I don't think anyone could hate you."

Thunder rumbled across the sky loudly.

Dick stated, "Looks like we might be saved from someone bigger than Sobel." He smiled at me.

I smiled back as I replied, "I hope so!"


	3. The Run & The Run-Ins

**A/N: Holy smokes! The reviews and the follows/favorites are amazing to see!**

**Thank you guest(s), BoB16234, and LauRa-ReaDinG-XoX for your reviews! I'm glad that you are liking this story! Hopefully, it will continue to be one that you keep coming back to and reviewing/loving!**

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We were not so lucky. Sobel demanded that we run the massive hill anyways. The rain poured down upon us, so hard that it felt like we were being stabbed by pins. I was completely soaked to the bone, along with everyone else.

The trail was dangerous to begin with but with this sudden downpour, it became even more treacherous than we could bear. The massive amount of water had created rushing little streams on the trail. It brought debris from the trees onto the trail causing us to trip into the mud. Several men were already covered in mud from all of the falling they did, in addition to being soaked from the rain.

I pushed some of my wet hair from my face and slipped. I fell to the trail and struggled to get up, as it was so slippery that I couldn't get a good grip.

I felt several pair of hands helping me to my feet. I nodded my thanks to my helpers, Luz and Liebgott. They kept going once I was on my feet. I started to run again but I didn't get far.

I took a few steps forward. I saw what I thought was a massive puddle but it wasn't. I felt myself falling into a deep water-filled hole.

The hole had formed due to all of the rushing water and I sank into it. I was submerged up to my waist, feeling the water and mud sucking me down further. I shrieked. I struggled to claw my way out, fighting the suction, and I was embarrassed that this happened to me.

Some of the men stopped to help me out once more. This time, it was Randleman and Christensen. Once they pulled me out, they looked at me with such concern, it was heart warming.

"I'm okay!" I shouted over the storm, "I'm okay!"

They looked at each other then back at me, before they kept running.

I carefully ran behind some of the men, realizing that I needed to step where they stepped or I'd be causing all sorts of problems for them. I looked up the line and saw Winters heading down to me.

The concern was apparent on his face. He reached me and ran beside me the whole way up. We didn't speak and I don't think that we had to. He was there to make sure that I'd make it up to the top as ordered and I was glad to have his help.

The rain didn't let up and the lightning and thunder grew more and more. When we finally reached the last incline to the top, we had to help each other out by creating a chain.

When it was my turn to go, I reached my hand out and was pulled up to the top. I was caked in mud when I was able to touch the pedestal that sat at the top of the hill. Once everyone was able to get to the top and touch the stone, we had to make the treacherous trip back down.

As our luck would have it, the rain let up halfway down the hill. The men complained and I couldn't help but feel the same. When we walked off the trail back into the camp, we were greeted by Sobel.

He looked at each one of us but never spoke a word. We carefully walked passed him, hoping that he wasn't going to order us to repeat it but he never did. Instead, he just watched us. I grew anxious, feeling more uncomfortable by his following eyes.

The men started to disperse to their barracks to change and get cleaned up.

I turned to head to my barracks when a voice stopped me, "Emmeline!"

I turned and saw David Webster, who was also covered in mud, approach me. I liked Webster. He was a nice guy. Sometimes the others didn't treat him so well but he still treated them with the same respect, which I admired about him. Maybe it was because he treated me so kindly that I saw the kinder side of him.

"Hey Web," I spoke softly.

He smiled kindly at me as he always did. He asked, "I was wondering...are you coming to the party tonight?"

"Party?" I questioned. I didn't hear about any party.

He blinked, almost realizing that maybe he wasn't supposed to say anything to me. He continued, "Yeah...it's at the mess hall. They're serving drinks and food. I hear there's supposed to be some dancing too."

I didn't know why he was telling me this. I awkwardly started as I bit my lower lip, "Um..."

"I'm sorry that no one has told you yet. I hope you come. It'll be nice to see you there," he added with a warm smile.

I shrugged as I replied, "I'll think about it. Thank you for telling me."

He smiled awkwardly, realizing that he might have made a mistake and he turned to leave. I sighed once he was gone.

I turned to head to the barracks when I collided with someone behind me. I felt myself lose balance and strong hands grab my upper arms to steady me. I exclaimed, "I'm so sorry!"

"Miss Banks," a husky voice spoke to me. My heart stopped. I looked up to see who I had run into.

"Lieutenant Speirs...sir." I swallowed as my eyes grew wider.

He looked up and down at me. When he finished examining me, he held my wide eyed stare as he questioned, "Miss Banks, why are you covered in mud?"

My mouth fell open. I blinked and stammered, "I-I...fell."

"Fell?" he repeated.

"Yes sir," I managed to speak, "During the run up Currahee."

He released me. "I see. Well you better get cleaned up. We don't want you to catch a cold, do we?"

I shook my head, speaking in a whisper, "No sir."

He nodded as he looked over to his right then back to me. He ordered, "Get going then, Nurse. See you later this evening, I suspect."

I watched as he walked away from me. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. Lieutenant Speirs was the one person who made everyone scared. He hardly showed any emotion and he hardly spoke to anyone, including the nurses. He just was.

As I watched him walk away, a giggle came behind me. I turned to see Darla approach me. I sighed as she started, "I don't know which is funnier, you or him."

"What are you talking about Darla?" I questioned.

"Look at you! You're a mess! Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?" she smiled.

I knew that she wasn't finished with her teasing but I knew her well enough to know that she wasn't about to talk about it in the open. She would wait until we were alone and I knew that place would be in the shower as I scrubbed the mud off of me.


	4. Confessions & Lectures

**A/N: Thank you guest(s) for your review! I've been a little busy, so I apologize for keeping you waiting for the next chapter!**

**Here you go! Enjoy! Reviews make for happy days!**

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I was right, of course. She sat in the corner holding my fresh clothes for me as I scrubbed the caked on mud from my skin. I could see the red marks on my skin forming as I scrubbed harder. I had to focus on cleaning myself up as I loved the feeling of the hot water on my sore body. That run took a toll on me.

Inwardly, I hated Sobel for forcing us to run that stupid hill in the storm but I knew that I couldn't say anything about it. So I scrubbed harder, taking my frustrations out on my skin.

Darla cleared her throat. She asked, "So...what was that all about?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, grabbing the soap again, trying to avoid her questioning and teasing.

She giggled. "You know what I'm talking about."

I set the bar of soap down trying to work it into a lather and failing miserably. I stated, "Really, Darla...I have no idea. Can't you just say it before someone else comes in?"

I didn't want any of the other girls hearing whatever it was that she had to say especially if it was what I suspected it to be about.

Darla looked at me with gleaming and mischievous eyes as she explained, "You and a certain Lieutenant...Does that ring a bell now?"

"And here I thought you were going to mention how filthy I was!" I joked, knowing full well it was about the incident with Lieutenant Speirs that she was wanting to talk about.

"How long are you going to play coy?" Darla mused.

I started to rinse the dirty soap off of my body, finally seeing my skin. I sighed before replying, "Darla, it's not appropriate. He's the CO of Dog Company. If anyone heard you talking about this, we could get in trouble."

She cut me off by waving her hand in the air nonchalantly. "Please. I've known for a while that you like him."

"I do not," I protested, but knowing that Darla was indeed like our mother. She knew who we liked and who we didn't. Hiding anything from her was impossible. It was like trying to tell a dog not to fetch after throwing a stick.

"Don't lie to me, Em," she spoke as she set down my clothes on her chair, standing to make her approach to me as she continued, "I have seen the secret glances that you've given in his direction. You're always trying to do the right thing, instead of what's best for you. There's a difference between the right thing, and the right thing for you. Think about it."

I finished in the shower and turned the water off. I started, "Look..."

I took the towel that was extended by Darla as I continued, "I have a commitment to my company. He's a good looking man, I admit...but that doesn't mean anything. I think there are a lot of good looking men in the company."

Darla laughed at me, as though she were happy to hear my confession. Darla nodded as she replied, "You're right there. If you were able-"

I knew where she was going with this. I cut her off by saying, "Darla, we're in the middle of a war. There isn't going to be any opportunity or chance to move forward with anyone. I am not like the rest of the girls. I don't want to start something and find out that they were killed on the front lines, or-"

It was Darla's turn to cut me off. She stated, "I'm not trying to tell you to start some summer romance or have a fling. I'm just saying that maybe you could try and be a little less... how shall I put this..."

I started to get dressed, with her help as I suggested, "Realistic?"

"Reserved. Shy. Withdrawn," she said as she giggled. She turned me to face her after zipping up my dress. She said, "I think that you are trying too hard to blend in. Relax while you can, my dear. You never know what will come to you if you are open to it."

I sighed as I replied, "Sure, that's easy for you to say. Men love you! They love the others too, come to think of it."

"Because we allow ourselves to be social and we have fun while we can. You're going to realize too late, that life is short. You may end up learning that lesson too late, I fear," she stated. Looking at me, she smiled as she added, "Now, let's do something with your hair. We have a party to attend to!"

Before I could protest, she grabbed my left hand and dragged me out of the showers towards our barracks.


	5. Realizations

I had finally found out that the party was for Colonel Sink. Apparently, it was his birthday, but after he came into the mess hall to thank everyone for this surprise celebration, he explained that he was being called away on important business, but to celebrate without him. Everyone was more than happy to oblige.

Darla and I finally walked into the crowded, and loud room. The music was blaring and everyone was drinking. I scanned the room, as Darla wrapped her arm in mine. I saw the girls scattered around the room.

Anne was talking to Grant in the corner of the room. She seemed really happy. She was laughing at his jokes and the way he was looking at her, I would have grown weak in the knees. If the war hadn't brought all of us together, and if they had met in other circumstances, I think they would have been very happy in life.

Charlotte was dancing with Luz, and he was cracking jokes, making her laugh. I always thought those two were great together. Even though Charlotte was our conscious voice, she was fun to be around, and we knew that Luz could see her fun and free side.

I spotted Sarah drinking with Gordon, Guarnere and Toye, trying to keep up. I worried about how this night would affect her in the morning, especially with her being so much younger than the rest of us, and I'm not even sure she had ever drank before tonight.

Darla whispered into my ear, "I'm going to get a drink. You should try and have fun!"

I nodded to her, as she headed to the bar. I suddenly felt like I didn't belong.

Awkwardly, I decided to walk across the room to get something to drink. On my way across the room, I was stopped by Webster, who was smiling wide. He exclaimed happily, "You came! This is great! Here, have a seat!"

He motioned to a chair that was empty, next to a bunch of men that I didn't know. I looked at Web as he smiled, pulling another chair up to sit next to me.

Some more men from Easy came to stand around us. I smiled, clearly uncomfortable, as this was never my scene. I didn't know how to react in these situations.

Webster finally asked, "Do you want a drink?" I nodded and he replied, "I'll be right back."

My eyes followed him as he walked away, leaving me alone with these men that I didn't know. I smiled at them, trying to relax, as Darla instructed me, but I couldn't. I think the men got the idea that I wasn't comfortable, because they got up and started to dance with the others.

Webster came back with my drink and set it down on the table. He must have seen my uneasiness and asked, "You okay? You seem a little shaken."

I nodded as I replied, "I'm just not used to this."

He understood. "It's tough, I know, especially when you're kind of the third wheel."

"Third wheel?" I asked in honest confusion. What could he possibly mean by that?

He took a gulp of his beer and stated, "I mean...don't misunderstand me, but you're nothing like the other nurses."

He turned to look at the others as they were all being flirty, fun and dancing the night away with the men. I looked down at my hands in my lap, knowing that he was right. He turned his gaze back at me, and quickly added, "That's not a bad thing!"

I met his gaze and asked, "How can that not be a bad thing? I mean, I'm nothing like them, Web."

He placed a warm hand on mine. "I know. That's what makes you, you."

Suddenly a feeling hit me like a ton of bricks. I asked, "What about the others?"

He looked at me confused as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean...do the others think the same thing about me? Do they not like me like the others because I'm so different? Because I'm not as fun?" I asked. I felt that perhaps my questions didn't make sense.

Webster replied, "You're like our sister, Em. We want to make sure that you're okay."

I scoffed, "Sister? So, is that why none of the men ask me to these things? Why none of them ask me to dance or get a drink?"

He nodded and said, "I guess, sure."

I started to stand up. I wanted to leave. I could feel the tears forming behind my eyes, and I didn't want the men to see me cry.

Webster stood up, grabbing my right wrist. He pleaded, "Wait. What's wrong?"

I tried to keep it together as I replied, "Why do you invite me to these things? Why are you always keeping me company? Do you feel that badly for me?"

"It's not a pity thing, Emmeline. I like you," he tried to say. He released my arm and let his fall to his side as he explained, "I just like you. You're different from the others. I'm trying to figure you out."

I nodded. "Excuse me."

I turned and quickly walked out of the mess hall.

I'm not sure why, but I was extremely upset about finding out that none of the men in the company and possibly the entire Division, saw me as anything else but a sister. It was heartbreaking to hear that they were never going to ask me to dance, or grab a drink, like they did the others. They were never going to speak to me, or look at me, the way that they do with the others.

I was so wrapped in my own mind that I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. I could feel the tears streaming down my face as I walked. When I came to the edge of the camp, I stopped.

I started to sob, and could feel my body betray me, as it started to bend over, as the sobs racked my body. I didn't understand why this bothered me so much. I stopped crying when I heard someone behind me, "Nurse Banks?"

I quickly stood up, straightening my posture and fixing my clothes. I turned and saw a dark silhouette standing a few feet away. "Yes?" my voice quivered.

The person took a couple of steps toward me. "Are you all right?"

The voice had sounded familiar, but it was difficult to place. I wiped the tears from my face, just as the person came into the light, my breath hitched. It took me a moment to regain composure, again. "Yes, I am. Thank you, Lieutenant Speirs."

Speirs walked up to me, standing so close that I could smell his musky scent, and feel the warmth of his body next to mine. It formed goose bumps across my cold flesh. He looked down into my eyes with his. He asked, "Why are you crying?"

I swallowed, unsure of how to respond. I replied, "It's nothing, sir."

He questioned, "Did someone behave inappropriately this evening?"

I stepped back from him, allowing the cold air to engulf me once more as I replied, "I'm fine. Really. It's nothing."

He stepped toward me once more, as I stepped back again. He stated, "Nurse Banks, I don't tolerate lying. It would be best for you to step forward and tell me the truth."

Suddenly, I knew why everyone was scared of him. At this moment, I was a little afraid of him too. I licked my dry lips before replying, "I just found out that I'm a third wheel."

I decided to use Webster's words, hoping that he would understand and leave me alone to continue crying.

He looked at me with his dark eyes. "Third wheel, Miss Banks?"

I bit my lip and said, "Yes sir."

His gaze lowered to my lip, as I was still biting it. He ordered, "Explain."

"I'm not like the other nurses. I didn't think that I was so different, but the men pointed it out to me tonight. I wasn't even supposed to be at that party..." I stopped, and chewed on my lip some more. I was nervous, and it showed.

He blinked and asked, "Why did you go?"

I stared at him, unsure of how to respond. I replied, "I was invited..."

"You just said that you weren't supposed to be there," he pointed out.

I sighed, feeling trapped by my own words. I tried to explain, "Even if I wasn't invited, I would have been dragged there by Darla."

"Yes, Darla Sanderson. She does have a way of getting her way," he admitted as he finally released me from his gaze.

I felt that I could breathe again, now that he wasn't staring at me. I looked down at my feet, feeling quite awkward.

Finally, he spoke, breaking the silence, "Well, we better get you back inside, before you catch your death."

I blinked a few times, not sure what to say. I bit my lip, deciding that it was best not to say anything at all.

He escorted me to my barracks instead of the party, which I could hear was still going on. He took a step away, but stopped as he said, "You know," I turned around to look at him while he spoke, "You are different than the others."

I lowered my gaze to the ground as I whispered, "I know." My voice betrayed my sadness.

"You're a mystery to me, Miss Banks," he stated.

I looked up at him. "Sir?"

He nodded quickly, turning to go. He said, "Good night, Nurse Banks."

I stood there confused, as I watched him walk away from me. I didn't understand what he meant by that. How could I be a mystery to anyone?

I bit my lip as I thought, and turned to head into my barracks. Tonight would be a long night, as I tried to figure out what he meant.


	6. Light Duty Orders

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The next morning, I woke up early. Thankfully, we didn't have any nurses training, but I knew that Sobel would have something up his sleeve. I stood up from my cot, stretching and finally reaching for my clothes. I changed, and put my hair up into a neat ponytail.

Once I was dressed, I turned and quietly carried my boots across the room, so that I wouldn't disturb the others. I opened the door and stepped out, closing the door behind me. I sat down on the steps and put my boots on.

I had just finished tying my laces when I saw a pair of boots stop in front of me. I glanced up and saw Sobel standing before me. I stood up quickly, saluting. "Sir."

He looked at me, almost sizing me up. It made me uncomfortable. He ordered, "I need you to report to the kitchen and assist Lieutenant Winters."

I furrowed my brow. "Sir?"

"We are giving the men a light day of lecture to help them recover from last night's celebration. I have requested that Lieutenant Winters prepare a nice meal. Since you have no nurses training today, I would ask that you assist in the preparation of this meal," he stated. It sounded pretty self explanatory.

I nodded to him that I understood. "Yes sir."

I started to walk away from him, but he grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"Before you go," he whispered into my ear, sending chills down my spine. He continued, "I would also ask that you bring me some to my office as soon as it's ready."

I looked at his hold on my upper arm, then up to his beady eyes. "Yes sir."

When he didn't remove his hand, I asked, "Was there something else, sir?"

He finally released me from his hold as he said, "No. Carry on."

I shuddered as I started to walk away from him, still feeling his eyes following me.

As I rounded the corner heading to the kitchen, I thought about Sobel. I didn't like him for many reasons, but he had never acted like that before. I was so involved in my thoughts that I didn't realize that I had passed by the kitchen.

I looked up when I heard a few whistles being thrown my way. I was suddenly standing in the middle of a PT session for Dog Company. The men had smiles on their faces and some were whistling at me still. I blushed and turned to run away, but turned smack into Speirs.

I gasped, shocked. "I'm sorry, sir. I was in my own thoughts."

He didn't touch me, nor smile at me. He barely looked at me, or even acknowledged that I had spoken to him. He stepped aside for me, motioning for me to continue on my way.

I was confused by the change in his personality. I blinked, furrowing my brow at him, but didn't speak. I quickly walked away and made it to the kitchen, where Winters was waiting for me.

"Are you okay? Where have you been?" he asked, noticing my flustered look.

I shook my head as I apologized, "I'm sorry. I was lost in my thoughts, and walked past the kitchen." I looked around, seeing that things were running smoothly. I asked, "What can I do?"

He shrugged as he replied, "I'm not sure. Sobel had requested that you help me today, but as you can see, we've got it under control."

I suddenly remembered what Sobel had ordered me to do. I said, "He asked me to bring him a plate."

Winters looked at me confused. He asked, "Why? Why would he ask you to bring him anything?"

I shook my head as I explained, "I don't know. He asked me to do it, so I guess I should take him a plate, now that it's ready."

I reached for a tray full of food, and started to head for the door.

Winters shouted after me, "Emmeline, be careful."

I wasn't sure why he was warning me. What was he warning me of? Sobel? The hungry men that I would have to pass in the camp to get to Sobel? Whatever the reason, I wasn't sure, but I was immediately on guard.


	7. Uneasy Encounters

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I didn't have any problems getting to Sobel's office, which had me suddenly on edge. I swallowed as I took in a deep breath, preparing myself for something horrible to happen.

I walked into his office, and set the tray down onto his desk. Without waiting for him to show up, nor waiting for further instructions, I turned to leave. That's when he appeared. I jumped a little from his sudden appearance.

"Thank you, Miss Banks," he said as he looked at the tray of food that was sitting on his desk. He asked, "How is it?"

"I have yet to taste it, sir," I admitted, slowly inching my way around him.

"I see." He thought for a moment before adding, "What do you think of the meal selection today?"

Honestly, I didn't care but I replied, "I think it's a fine meal for such a day as this." I tried to leave again, but he stopped me.

"Nurse Banks, I have been meaning to ask you...How are you adjusting to this lifestyle?" he asked.

I didn't understand why he was asking me this. I had been here for as long as everyone else. I asked for clarification, "Sir?"

He approached me, filling the gap between us. The hair on my arms began to stand up on their own. He whispered, "How have you adjusted to this lifestyle?"

I grew weary of being in the same room as him. I replied, "It's been fine, sir."

He reached his hand out to tuck some of my hair behind my ear. He lingered for a moment as he asked, "Things haven't been too difficult for you, have they?"

"No, sir," I replied, growing more uncomfortable.

He caressed my neck as he stated, "Because, if you were under strain, I could help you."

I inhaled sharply, suddenly backing away from him, saying, "No, sir. Things have been just fine. Thank you for asking."

I turned to leave, but heard him say, "Nurse Banks."

I turned to face him. "Yes, sir?"

He smiled as he said, "Plans have changed. I'm ordering everyone to run Currahee. I want you to change into your PT gear, and get ready."

I looked at him, stunned. I asked, "Sir?"

"Is there a problem, Nurse Banks?" he asked, suddenly making me nervous once more.

"N-no sir," I replied as I turned and left.

I kept walking toward my barracks, realizing what the men would be going through today. Sobel had plans all along. I was afraid to know what could have happened, had I stayed in the office a moment longer, and I was afraid of what Sobel would want from me.

I could have been overreacting. I realized this, but there was just something that rubbed me the wrong way, whenever I was around that man.

I turned the corner and entered my barracks. Sitting in the room was Darla. She looked up at me, seeing the distressed look on my face. She asked, "What's wrong?"

I loved how she knew when something was wrong, without having to pry. I replied as I started to change into my PT gear, "I'm not sure."

She approached me, asking, "What happened, Em?"

I replied, "I just get this weird feeling each time I'm around Sobel."

"Weird how?" she asked as she watched me change.

I explained, "He makes me nervous. I'm not sure how else to describe it."

"Nervous like how you are when you're with Speirs?" She smiled.

I couldn't tell if she was trying to distract me from the real issue or not. I stated truthfully, "No. Not like that. It's as if I am afraid that something bad will happen with Sobel. I don't know. It's probably nothing."

Darla opened her mouth to speak but I had already walked out on her. I had to assemble at the base of the trail with the rest of the men, and be ready for Sobel's torture.


	8. Time to Let Her Fly

Torture was the right word. All of the men had eaten a big helping of that special meal that Sobel requested. Of course they would vomit it all up, which was all part of the plan Sobel had, who seemed to be taking pride in watching the men suffer.

I ran with the men, looking at them as they struggled with their full stomachs. I heard Sobel insulting and taunting the men, but instead of buckling to his childlike behavior, the men started to sing.

It brought a smile to my face as I listened to the strength in the words and voices as they were singing. The look on Sobel's face was priceless as he was just as shocked as I was when the singing had started. We were finally a company, one that would stand together, no matter what the opposition was, and we would succeed where others would fail.

The next morning, we had gathered early in the field to have one last lecture before jumping for our wings. I had heard parts of the lecture but I was so nervous that I didn't really concentrate on what was being said. Instead, I watched as other Airborne men were already jumping in the distance. I watched as the chutes would open and glide the men to the earth again.

Before I knew it, the lecture was over and we piled into the planes. As I sat in the plane, I could hear our jump master explain once more, over the noise of the airplane and open door, "Any refusals at the door, and you will be out of the Airborne!"

I blinked away the thought of fear. I couldn't be afraid, not now. I decided to think of something else. I suddenly had a memory from long ago pop into my mind.

I was thinking about the time when I was about seven years old and my mother had found a bird with a broken wing. She cradled it carefully and I watched as she used things around the house to make it a splint. We fed it daily, talked to it, and watched over it carefully, as it healed.

One day, I had woken up and my mother had the bird in her hands, while she stood outside with it. She removed the splint and released the bird from her hands, letting it fly into the cerulean sky. I had asked her why we had to let the bird go. Her reply was simple. "Because it was time to let her fly."

My mother's words echoed in my mind when I sat in that plane. Today was the day that I needed to fly. It was my time and I didn't want to disappoint my late mother. So when the order was given, I stood up with the rest of the men, hooked up, and checked the equipment on the man in front of me. Once that was over, it was the wait at the door for the green light to jump...to fly for the first time.

When the light went off, I jumped out of the door as trained, and I realized that my eyes were closed. When I opened them again, I could see the blue sky all around me. I smiled and laughed, as I realized that this was what freedom felt like. This is what that bird felt with each flight that it took.

When I landed on the ground, I had a small feeling of sadness as I realized that the feeling had gone, just like that fleeting memory of my mother with the bird. The bird with the broken wing must have felt this way when it couldn't fly. I shook the memory from my mind and focused on packing my chute up into the bag.

I stood up and began to make my hike back over to the assembly area for the next jump. We had to do this four more times and I hoped that with each jump, I would feel that moment again.

Suddenly I realized that this was more than just the feeling of freedom, but it was as if I were feeling the presence of my mother with me as I came down to the earth. It was as close to touching her again as I would ever get, and I didn't want to let that go, not just yet anyways.


	9. Evening Chats

Later that night after our jumps were finished, I headed back to my barracks. As I neared them, I heard a voice speak out behind me from the shadows, "How did your jumps go, Nurse Banks?"

I turned around, startled. I searched for the speaker, but only saw the faint outline of the man in the shadows. I replied, "They went well...um, sir?"

I added the 'sir' simply because I wasn't sure whom I was speaking with. I was afraid that if it turned out to be Sobel, I would be in trouble.

The man stepped out from the darkness, replying, "That's good to hear."

My eyes fell upon Speirs as he approached me. I swallowed, feeling myself growing uncomfortable in his gaze. I bit my lip and asked, "How did your jumps go?"

He smiled quickly before replying, "They went well, thank you."

Before I was able to say or do anything, another voice joined the fray. "Nurse Banks!"

"Yes, sir?" I asked, peering over Speirs's shoulder.

Sobel approached us. Speirs stood off to the side as Sobel shouted, "I have been searching for you every where!"

I tensed as I asked, "You have, sir?"

Sobel replied, "I need you to join me in my office."

"Now, sir?" I questioned. I didn't like this. It was late, and I knew that his office would be deserted and we would be alone. Something about this setup didn't sit well with me.

Sobel replied, "Yes, Nurse Banks. We have some unfinished...business to take care of."

I shuddered just thinking of what that business was.

Speirs must have seen my distress, as he interjected, "I'm sorry that I did not inform you earlier, Captain Sobel, but I have recruited Nurse Banks for a task already. Perhaps you can finish your business with her in the morning?"

Sobel glared at Speirs, as I looked up at him too. He was coming to my rescue, and I didn't want to risk ruining it.

Sobel asked, "You have? What task, may I ask?"

Speirs didn't hesitate. He replied, "I have requested her help with an important task, Captain. Why should there be any doubt in that order?"

Sobel back away a little. He nodded before stating, "Very well. Report to me in the morning, Nurse Banks."

"Yes, sir," I replied as I watched him slink away from us.

When Sobel was out of sight and mind, I sighed heavily. I found that I was allowing my nerves to relax.

Speirs turned to me and asked, "Care to explain, Nurse Banks?"

"Sir?" I questioned.

He peered down at me as he repeated, "Care to explain?"

I bit my lip and asked, "Explain what?"

He lowered his gaze to my lips and stated, "I've noticed that you do that often."

"Do what, sir?" I asked confused.

He stated, "Whenever you get nervous or uncomfortable, you bite your lip. If you did that in front of the wrong man, you might be setting yourself up for trouble."

I sighed and asked, "Is that what's going on?"

"Going on with whom?" he asked.

"With Sobel," I started before fading out.

I realized late that he said whom instead of what. He knew that something was going on with Sobel and I just admitted to it, without thinking.

He stepped in front of me, holding my gaze. He ordered, "I want to know what's going on, Nurse Banks. The truth. Now."

I swallowed, suddenly afraid of what might happen should I admit the truth. I started to back away from Speirs.

He grabbed my arms and held me still. He whispered, "The truth, Miss Banks."

My breathing quickened. I trembled as I started to explain, "I'm not sure, sir."

Speirs loosened his grip on me. He asked, "Why did he want to speak with you at this hour?"

I shook my head and replied honestly, "I don't know..."

He whispered, "I think you do."

I hadn't noticed that tears had started to fall down my cheeks. It wasn't until that moment, that Speirs had released his hold on me.

He studied my face for a moment before looking around us. When his gaze was back to me, he replied, "Go back to your barracks and get cleaned up. There is a celebration party for earning your wings soon. I expect you to be there."

With that said, he turned and walked into the night, leaving me standing there alone and confused.


	10. Different Love

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That night, I walked into the mess hall where the celebration party for our wings was being held.

Inside every man who was part of the Airborne was in that room, at least every man who had earned his wings.

I made my way to the corner of the room, trying to blend in. After the run in with Sobel and Speirs, I didn't want to see either one. I wasn't even sure how long I was going to stick around.

I scanned the room, watching as the men were having a great time, drinking and playing darts. The rest of the girls had shown up as dates for some of the men.

I sat down in a chair as close to the door as I could get. It wasn't long before a couple of beers were set on the table before me. I glanced up to see Webster smiling at me.

"You came," he stated, still smiling warmly at me. He sat down across from me, moving one of the beers toward me.

I smiled back at him. After the day that I had, I was happy to see a friendly face. I pulled the beer close, but didn't pick it up.

He stated, "I wasn't sure if you were going to come or not!"

"Neither did I," I said truthfully.

He took a gulp from his beer and asked, "Why did you?"

I thought for a moment, then replied, "It felt like the right thing to do. I've made it this far with you guys...I should be here celebrating next to you as well."

He grinned at me. He stated, "Well, I'm glad you're here."

I smiled back at him. It was nice to have someone who wasn't trying to get something from me.

Music began to swell and Webster looked at me. He asked, "Care to dance?"

I looked at him. I thought about it for a moment. I could hear Darla's voice in my head, telling me to go for it, to have fun. So I said, "Sure."

Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't expecting me to agree to a dance. When he understood what I said, he smiled the biggest smile that I had ever seen and he stood up, offering his hand to me.

I took his hand and stood up. He led me to the dance floor.

The music was a moderate pace, and the rest of the girls were already dancing with their dates. Webster pulled me close to him as we started to dance to the music. I found that I was laughing and enjoying myself, more so than I had ever thought to be possible.

No one had asked me to dance before, and I was enjoying myself. I looked over Webster's shoulder to see Darla smiling at me. She looked pleased that I was enjoying myself as much as I was.

Webster and I danced several dances together. He eventually said into my ear, over the music, "You seem to be enjoying yourself. I don't think I've seen you smile this much before!"

I hadn't realized until he pointed it out that I had been smiling for most of the night. I looked up at him and replied, "I guess I have you to thank for that!"

Suddenly, the music slowed. Webster pulled me closer as we began to sway to the music. I was a little uncomfortable, as I wasn't sure what to do because this was all new to me. I looked over my shoulder to see Darla wink at me. I guess I was doing something right.

I asked curiously, "Where did you learn to dance like this?"

Webster looked down at me, smiling as he replied, "My parents made sure that I was a well rounded young man. Seemed to work especially well in college."

"I bet you had a lot of girls wanting to dance with you," I teased.

He smiled down at me. He admitted, "Probably, but there was only one that I ever wanted to dance with."

The song ended when I met his gaze. There was something in his eyes that sparkled. I didn't know what it was, so I said, "I think I need some fresh air."

"I'll join you," he offered.

We stepped outside, and the fresh air felt amazing on my flushed skin. I inhaled and looked up into the sky.

The music was still going on inside, and I could hear people still enjoying the party.

Webster started, "There are so many stars in this universe, but there is only one that always stays the same, never moving or faltering."

I looked at him and asked, "Which one?"

He pointed into the night sky, and I followed his finger to the one of the brightest stars in the sky. He said, "That's Polaris, the North star. It will always show you the way North."

I smiled as he lowered his arm. He admitted, "I think of you when I see that star."

"Why?" I asked.

He replied, "You're always the same. You're never changing."

I looked at him, wondering where he was going with this. That's when I noticed the sparkle in his eyes again.

Before I realized what was happening, I could feel Webster's lips on mine. His hands were on my hips, pulling me into his kiss. I placed my hands onto his chest, pushing him away, but he deepened the kiss, running his right hand up my back and into my hair.

I finally groaned and pushed him away from me, hard. We broke away from one another, and I demanded, "What was that?"

He looked at me, half ashamed and half shocked. He asked, "What? I thought..."

I sighed and stated, "Look, Web-"

He cut me off by saying, "No, it's okay. I get it. I'm sorry...I stepped over a line. I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship."

Before I could say anything, he walked back into the party, looking upset and I knew that he was heading into the party to drown away the rejection.

I sighed heavily, glancing back up into the sky. I didn't know what was wrong. I didn't understand why I would react that way, but I didn't feel that way about him. I loved him, of course, as I did all of the men in my company, but I didn't love him the way a woman loves a man...the way a heroine loves her hero.

I wanted to love someone in that way, and as much as I loved David Webster, I didn't and couldn't love him the way that he wanted me to, the way that he deserved to be loved, and I felt that I had let him down somehow, as I realized at that moment that he had loved me that way, the way that I craved to be for someone else.

I started to walk away from the mess hall, away from everyone, and away from that spot.

When I stopped walking, I found myself at the edge of the trail to Currahee. I laughed silently to myself at the irony of being in that spot. I closed my eyes, remembering the events of the night, when I heard a voice behind me, "Are you planning on running up that hill?"


	11. Friendly Lecture

I turned to see Darla standing behind me. I smiled at her and joked, "In these shoes? Are you out of your mind?"

She approached me and stated, "I saw David Webster at the party. He looked pretty upset, drinking beer after beer."

I didn't answer. I just looked down at my shoes awkwardly.

"Want to tell me what that was all about?" she asked.

I met her gaze and replied, "Not really."

"Tough," she responded. I scoffed at her.

She explained, "I know you too well, Em. What happened between you two?"

I sighed and snapped, "What do you want from me, Darla? Huh? What do you want me to say? We were having a good time, then he became someone else."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

I replied frustrated, "He suddenly became this romantic and kissed me. Is that what you wanted to hear? Is that why you're out here hounding me?"

She was taken back by my attitude and tone. She asked, "So, why are you really angry? That he kissed you, or that you were kissed by someone that wasn't the one you really wanted to be kissed by?"

Now it was my turn to be taken back. I looked at her, anger suddenly gone. I sighed heavily, and approached her. She opened her arms for me, and embraced me, comfortingly.

I replied, "I just don't understand how this happened, Darla. I don't know why this happened, or how...but what I think I'm even more confused about, is how I reacted to it."

Darla pulled away from me and asked, "Can I be honest with you, Em?"

I looked into her azure eyes. I nodded.

She began to speak, "I think that you're scared of getting too close. You think that in order to be loved, you have to be in love. You don't give yourself enough credit. You have this belief in your mind that you're not good enough to be loved, and when someone finally shows you that they love you, you get scared and push them away."

I cut her off by saying, "He doesn't love me, Darla. He was drunk."

"David Webster has loved you from the moment that he met you. Everyone knows that, except you. Why do you think he's always trying to get your attention? Why else do you think that no one else has asked you to dance or grab a drink?" Darla asked.

"Because they think of me as their sister!" I shouted at her.

Darla shook her head. "That's what some of them think. Have you asked each and every man in the company? Have you asked each man in the Division? You're an attractive girl, Em. Do you realize how many men talk about you?"

I looked at her doubtfully. I scoffed, "Now you're making things up."

She shook her head and stated, "There are men in Dog Company who have wanted to talk to you, but you're so shy...painfully shy, when you're around them."

"I am not shy! If I was shy, why would the men in Easy talk to me? Why has Webster gotten to know me so well?" I rebutted.

Darla sighed heavily and replied, "You see the men in Easy every day. You train with them every day. You have sweated and bled with them, you've shared secrets and comforted them. Webster has forced you to talk to him, to get to know him for who he is, and the same is said about him for you. He has been there for you, more than the others because he loves you. You just can't see it."

I bit my lip and started to think about her words. She came up to me and hugged me again.

She whispered, "There are more people who love you, Emmeline. You just have to open your mind and heart to the possibilities. It may not be who you want to love, but let them love you. It might allow you to love in ways you've never known."

Darla pulled away from me and added, "Besides, you can't keep holding a candle for a certain Lieutenant who may not even have a heart."

I looked up at her, as she smiled at me. I knew that she was joking, but I felt sad by hearing those words. She must have seen it in my face.

"Emmeline. He has feelings for you. I've caught him looking at you when he thinks no one is looking. Have faith," Darla stated as she stood there looking at me, suddenly referring to Speirs.

I nodded and asked, "How did you become so smart?"

She smiled and replied, "It just happens to be something that you learn when you get to be older. Love is a funny thing."

"Yes it is..." I agreed.

She rubbed her hands along her arms and stated, "I'm going back to the party. Care to join me?"

I shook my head. "No. I think I'll stay out here a little longer. Have fun."

She nodded and started to head back to the party alone.

I shouted, "Darla!"

She stopped and turned to look at me.

I smiled at her. "Thanks."

She smiled in return and turned to go back, leaving me standing in the chilly night alone.


	12. The Rescue

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After thinking over everything that Darla had said to me earlier, and having the time to just be after all of the excitement of the night, I decided to start heading back to my barracks.

I didn't get very far into the camp, when I was stopped by someone behind me.

"Hold it right there!" the voice shouted.

I stopped and turned around. I saw a Sergeant from Dog Company standing there. I looked at him, confused that he had stopped me. I asked, "Sir?"

He approached me slowly. By the way he was walking, I knew that he was drunk from the party, which was still going on. When he reached me, he stopped inches from me.

I swallowed, feeling nervous, and began to bite my lip. I looked up at him, and asked, "Are you all right, sir?"

He peered down at me. His eyes roamed my body, and I tensed. He looked into my eyes once he was finished looking at me. He asked, "Why are you not celebrating with the rest of the company?"

I looked at him. I knew that I would have to be careful with him. I replied, "I was just about to head back in, sir."

"I don't believe you," he stated, reaching for me.

I took a step back, just barely escaping his grip. I suggested, "I think you need to call it a night, Sergeant."

"Don't tell me what to do!" he barked at me.

I kept backing away from him, and he followed me in suit. I took a deep breath before suggesting, "Maybe you'd like to head back to the party with me?"

I suggested that, in hopes that if he agreed, I would be able to escape him, but instead, he said, "I think I've had enough of that party. I think you and I should have our own party."

My mouth fell open. I was scared, and I knew that there would be no one to save me, as everyone was in the mess hall celebrating.

I turned to try and run, but he grabbed me by the waist, pulling me into him. I shouted at him as I started to fight back, "Let go! Get off of me!"

He laughed in my ear, "You're a spirited one! I like you!"

Before he had a chance to do anything to me, or take me anywhere, I heard a dark husky voice shout from behind us, "Sergeant Jefferson! Stand at attention!"

Jefferson turned, still holding me. We were face to face with Speirs.

Speirs's eyes flared as he repeated, "I gave you an order, Sergeant!"

Reluctantly, Jefferson released me to stand at attention. I fought the urge to bolt. Instead, I moved a few inches away from the man toward Speirs.

Speirs ordered, "You have a patrol to go on, Sergeant. I suggest that you head to your barracks and prepare for it."

Jefferson sneered at Speirs, "I'm not fit for a patrol, sir."

Speirs took a step forward. He spat, "I wasn't giving you an option, Sergeant. Fall out. Now."

Jefferson glared at Speirs, before saying through gritted teeth, "I refuse to go on patrol, sir."

"Do I have to shoot you for insubordination, Sergeant?" Speirs threatened.

"You wouldn't!" Sergeant Jefferson challenged.

Speirs withdrew his handgun and asked, "Are you willing to find out?"

Jefferson looked at the handgun. He smirked, looking between the two of us, then headed toward his barracks, away from us.

Once he was out of sight, Speirs holstered his handgun. He looked over at me and asked, "Are you all right?"

I felt my knees give away and I started to fall to the cold ground. I never hit it.

Speirs was suddenly in front of me, holding me up. He steadied me as he suggested, "I think we should get you to your barracks, Nurse Banks."

I nodded, afraid to speak. He escorted me back to my barracks, allowing me to hold onto him for balance.

When we reached my barracks, he asked, "What were you doing out here by yourself?"

I looked into his dark eyes as I replied, "I went for a walk...I had to think about some things."

"So you went walking by yourself, in a place where there are a lot of lonely men who could easily take advantage of you?" he questioned.

I blinked at him. "Yes..."

"Why did you leave the party without someone to escort you back?" he asked.

I questioned him, "If I can't walk about freely on the base, how am I going to survive in the war? If I can't trust the men around me, why am I even allowed to be here, or a better question would be, why are those men allowed to be here?"

I was surprised by my sudden strength in my voice. This was not like me at all, and I think that he saw that too.

He smirked at me before asking, "Did you bite your lip when he attacked you?"

"You're changing the subject!" I shouted at him, growing frustrated.

He nodded as he said, "I'll take that as a yes. When will you learn?"

I balled my hands into fists and asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"

He held my gaze. "Are you angry with me, Nurse Banks?"

"I'm getting there," I replied truthfully.

He smiled. "Good."

I blinked, releasing my fists. I asked confused, "What?"

He glanced away from me and stated, "You need to learn to toughen up. Bad things are going to happen to you. People will attack you, try to take advantage of you, and you may not have a rescuer. You need to learn to fend for yourself."

He started to walk away from me when he stopped and said, "Have a good night, Nurse Banks."

Before he was out of hearing range, I replied, "Thank you, Lieutenant Speirs for saving me..."

He turned to nod his acknowledgement before heading into the darkness before me.


	13. Talent Discovered

**A/N: Thank you bethrodrigues77, tepaea, Lilredriding, and lalkness for your reviews! Holy smokes, so many reviews! I love it! Keep reading, following, reviewing and loving the story! It's great! I'm stoked you're liking the story so much!**

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As soon as I sat down on my cot, I began to think everything over. This was a crazy night, and I was afraid of the things that might come from all of this. Maybe Lieutenant Speirs was right. I needed to toughen up and learn to defend myself before it was too late.

I was so in thought that I jumped when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

I turned around to see that Darla had come back early. She looked down at me concerned.

She walked around my cot and sat next to me. "Why was Lieutenant Speirs here?"

I bit my lip and shook my head before explaining, "He was just escorting me back."

"Why? Did something happen?" she questioned.

I sighed, taking off my shoes. I stood up and began to change out of the dress that I was in. I replied, "I don't want to talk about it, okay? Just...drop it."

Darla nodded sadly, knowing that I would eventually talk about it, but for the moment, she dropped the subject as I had asked.

After I was changed, and Darla had moved to her end of the barracks, I climbed into my cot and silently cried myself to sleep.

For the next week, we were given the freedom to relax, to do our own thing. No lectures, no training...no Sobel.

The girls and I spent the time together each day, without the men. We knew that we would not be together when we would be sent out to our own divisions, so we made a pact to spend the week with each other.

Sarah begged that we spend one day shopping, if we were able to get off base. Luckily for her, we were able to get away for a few hours. Unfortunately, Sarah blew all of her money in the first shop that she came to...a bakery.

Sarah was upset, as she had planned on getting a new dress but her sweet tooth won the battle instead. We spent about an hour listening to her mope, so Anne took matters into her own hands.

Anne stood on the corner of the busiest street of the town we escaped to, dropping her hat onto the ground and began to sing. As she stood there, singing her song, we were amazed by the sound of her voice.

I looked over at Darla and asked, "Did you know that she sang?"

"No...I had no idea!" she exclaimed.

As she sang, people walking by had stopped to listen, and started to give her money. I smiled wide, realizing what she was doing.

By the end of the song, the people who stayed to listen had erupted into cheers and applause, and she picked up her hat full of money, bowed, and we started to walk down the street together.

Anne stopped and sat down in a chair in front of a cafe. She began to count the money in her hat.

Charlotte asked, "Where did you learn to sing like that?"

Anne smiled wide as she replied, "I've always wanted to be a singer. I was taught at a young age, and never gave it up."

"How come you've never sang in front of us before?" Sarah questioned.

Anne glanced up at us. She asked, "Haven't you guys ever heard me in the shower?"

I smiled. "Is that what that was? We thought that was a radio in one of the men's barracks!"

Anne just smiled, blushing slightly as she resumed counting the money. When she was finished, she looked up at Sarah. She stood and handed her the money. She announced, "You have enough to buy that dress of yours."

Sarah looked at the money in her hand and asked, "How much is in here?"

"$150," Anne replied.

Sarah gaped, "That's too much! You have to take it back! This is your money!"

Anne pushed Sarah's extended hand back and stated, "I got that for you. Use it. Maybe Gordon will love your new dress."

"How did you know that I was getting it for Gordon?" Sarah questioned, slightly embarrassed.

Darla replied, "Honey, we all knew that you liked Gordon. It's been apparent for a while."

We laughed as we continued to walk down the boulevard.


	14. Lunch Disrupted

**A/N: Thank you bethrodrigues77 and BatOutOfHell-Madness for your reviews! I'm glad that you like this story as much as the other! Keep reading and I'll keep the chapters coming!**

**Here's the next installment!**

**Reviews make for happy days!**

* * *

Sarah bought her dress for Gordon. It was a stunning red dress that accented her figure wonderfully. I felt a little envious of her, as she was doing something romantic for the person that she liked, someone that she had fallen in love with, but who knows what would happen in the days to come. The point that I took from this was what Darla had been telling me all along...to have fun while you can.

I didn't need a dress to do this, so I had offered to buy the girls lunch instead. They had agreed, mainly because they were hungry. We had been in that dress shop for a long time waiting for Sarah to pick the right dress, which took much longer than we thought it should have.

We walked into this quaint little cafe and sat at a table outside with our menus. When our waiter came and took our orders, we began to talk about the day and how amazing Anne's voice was and how Sarah looked in her new dress.

Suddenly, our waiter returned with our drinks and set an extra one in front of me. I looked up at him and stated, "I'm sorry, I didn't order this."

"The man at the bar did," the waiter explained.

We glanced back into the cafe and my eyes met those familiar ones of Sergeant Jefferson.

"Oh, he's cute!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Anne asked, "Hey, isn't he in Dog Company?"

I tensed and quickly looked away from him. Darla noticed my reaction and leaned in toward me. She whispered, "Hey, are you all right?"

I shook my head. I replied quietly, "I know that I didn't tell you why Lieutenant Speirs was outside our barracks that night but..."

Darla looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

Anne spoke softly, "He's coming over here."

My eyes grew wide as I looked up at her. Her smile disappeared when she saw the look on my face.

A familiar voice spoke, "Aren't you going to thank me for your drink?"

I slowly looked up to Sergeant Jefferson, who was standing next to our table. I spoke carefully, "Thank you."

He didn't leave. Instead, he pulled up a chair and joined us. He asked, "How's your day so far, ladies?"

Charlotte replied, "We're doing well, thank you. We're enjoying just having some girl time."

I loved how Charlotte tried to drop the hint to the man to leave us, leave me, alone. He smiled as he looked away from her back to me. "How are you doing?"

I looked down at the table and replied quietly, "I'm fine."

"What else is on your agenda today?" he questioned, still staring at me.

Darla answered, "We might go shopping. We might go to the salon. We haven't thought that far ahead."

He didn't look away from me. He leaned closer and whispered to me, so the others couldn't hear him, "I'm not finished with you."

I turned to look at him. The hidden meaning in his words showed in his eyes. I replied, "I suspected as much."

He smiled a charming smile as he stood up from the table. He looked at all of the girls, before stopping on me. He stated, "I hope you all enjoy this beautiful day. I'll see you all back on base."

When he left, our food had come. I looked up at the waiter and asked, "Can you take this away, please?"

He nodded, taking the glass of wine that Jefferson had offered. I looked around the table, meeting each pair of concerned eyes.

"What was that all about?" Charlotte asked.

I bit my lip and stated, "I had a run in with him the other night."

"What?" Anne gaped.

Darla looked at me and asked, "Are you all right?"

I looked down into my lap. I saw that I had clutched my napkin so tightly, I was about to rip it at it's seams. I released my hold on it and grabbed my water. I took a sip, trying to calm my nerves. I nodded as I swallowed the cool water. I didn't want to talk about it, not yet. I forced a smile and asked, "So, what are we doing after lunch?"


	15. The Escort

**A/N: Thank you BatOutOfHell-Madness and bethrodrigues77 for your reviews! Here's the next installment!  
Reviews make for happy days! Enjoy!**

* * *

The rest of the afternoon, I tried to relax and have fun, but I kept glancing over my shoulder, and I made a point to stick close to the girls. I could hear Lieutenant Speirs's words in my head about needing to toughen up and stand up for myself, but I wasn't prepared to do so now.

We stepped out of the book store where Darla bought a ton of books, and I picked up a notebook for when I was on the line.

When we stepped out of the store, we bumped into a few of the guys from Easy Company. Sarah was disappointed that Gordon wasn't with them, but Charlotte immediately intertwined her arm into Luz's and Anne was flirting with Grant.

Webster looked at me, and I smiled awkwardly at him. I knew that I needed to talk to him about what had happened the other night, but now was not the appropriate time.

My eyes drifted across the street, to see Sergeant Jefferson watching us. I looked over at Darla, who had seen him as well. She looked at me, and smiled. I suddenly realized that she had a plan.

She asked, "We were just about ready to head to the ice cream parlor before heading back to the base...would you guys be gentlemen and escort us?"

The guys smiled happily as they led us onwards. I grabbed Darla's arm and started to walk close to her. Sarah was disappointed that she didn't have anyone to hold onto, so Webster offered his arm to her, brightening her day slightly.

I had to give Webster credit for being kind to her. I think he knew that it was the right thing to do, but I also wondered if he knew that something was going on, more than just the incident between me and him.

Darla whispered, "Want to explain to me what is going on with you and that guy?"

"Which guy?" I asked, unsure if she was referring to Web or Jefferson.

She glared at me, explaining, "The creep from the cafe."

I sighed. "Oh, him."

She waited and I replied, "The short version is he was drunk, Darla."

"And the real version?" Darla asked.

"The real version?" I repeated.

She looked at me and explained, "He clearly wasn't drunk today at the cafe, so what happened?"

I sighed and began, "After you left me that night, I started to head back to our barracks. He stopped me. He grabbed me and I tried to fight back."

"What happened next?" Darla asked, clearly afraid for me.

I explained, "Nothing. Lieutenant Speirs intervened. He saved me from that man."

"That's why he was outside our barracks then..." Darla said.

I nodded. "He escorted me back after that."

We reached the ice cream parlor. The men paid for the girls' ice cream, but I didn't want any. I feared that Jefferson would walk in, and I didn't want a fight to break out. I faced the door, and waited.

Webster sat down and asked, "Are you all right? You seem a little distracted."

I blinked back to reality and smiled at him. "I think so."

"What's going on, Em?" he asked.

I replied, "There's this guy from Dog Company who's being creepy, that's all."

"Is he here?" Web asked.

I shook my head. "No, not here. Not yet, anyways."

"He's in town though?" he questioned.

I nodded and said, "We saw him at the cafe we had lunch at. Darla had you guys escort us here, just to be on the safe side. You know how Darla is."

He nodded and explained, "Well, I'll make sure that you guys get to the base safely."

I smiled and replied, "Thank you, David."

Before I could say anything else, he smiled back and stood up from my table to entertain Sarah. I could feel the tears begin to form, but blinked them away.


	16. Questions Arise

**A/N: Thank you BatOutOfHell-Madness and guest for your reviews! Sorry that it took me longer to update than usual. I was visiting family when I got stuck in a snow storm, which prevented me from returning home to update!**

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!  
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* * *

We arrived back to the base without incident. The girls and I walked into our barracks and unpacked our bags from our shopping trip. I was exhausted as I never spent this much time shopping before.

Sarah asked, "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? What about tonight?" Anne questioned her.

Charlotte smiled in agreement as she said, "That's right! You just bought that nice new dress...shouldn't you be trying it out?"

Sarah blushed as we shared a laugh. I shook my head as I sat down on my cot.

Darla suggested, "Why don't we see about getting some dates tonight? We could have a nice little date night!"

The girls got excited over the idea. Without warning or even dates, the girls started to get prepared for the evening.

Darla approached me and asked, "What about you? Are you going to join us?"

I looked up at her and questioned, "And do what?"

"Enjoy yourself for starters," Darla stated.

I chuckled and asked, "I don't know, Darla...Who would I go with?"

She smiled brightly as she replied, "Me."

I laughed as she reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet.

That night, we went out to a local spot with some of the men from Easy. Darla remained with me as my 'date', and we had a lot of fun as a group. We danced and had a lot of fun. Darla and I sat out on one dance, having a drink when I looked up to see that Lieutenant Nixon and Lieutenant Winters had walked in.

I swallowed my water and whispered into Darla's ear, "You know what would make this night even better for you?"

She looked over at me, drinking from her glass of beer.

I motioned toward the door and said, "A dance with the guy you've been pining for."

She glanced over to the door and saw Nixon and Winters starting to walk further into the building. She swallowed her beer and looked back at me. She stated, "I came here with you! I'm going to stick with that promise!"

I rolled my eyes as I rebutted, "I think that your date for the evening will understand if you want to have a dance or two with him."

She smiled and asked, "How did you know that I had a thing for him?"

I laughed as I repeated her line to Sarah from earlier, "Honey, we all knew that you liked him!"

She didn't have to track Lieutenant Nixon down. Instead, he came to us and looked at both of us with a warm smile. He asked, "Miss Sanderson, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a dance?"

Darla smiled at him, then at me as she took his extended hand and went to the dance floor with him. She seemed really happy that he had asked her to dance.

I glanced over to my left to see Lieutenant Winters standing there, watching them dance. He looked over at me, and sat next to me. He asked, "Why aren't you dancing?"

I chuckled as I replied, "Well, Lieutenant Nixon stole my date!"

Winters let out a laugh as he took a drink from his water. He glanced over at me and asked, "What's going on between you and Webster?"

I looked over at him, meeting his friendly gaze. I explained, "Nothing."

"He doesn't look like it's nothing," Winters pointed out.

"We had a little misunderstanding. I need to talk to him but I haven't found the right time yet," I stated.

Winters nodded and said, "As long as you get it sorted out, that's all that matters."

"Understood, sir," I replied.

He cleared his throat and asked, "Good, now there is another matter that I need to ask about. Care to explain what's been going on with you and your superior?"

I furrowed my brow. I didn't know if he was referring to Sergeant Jefferson, Sobel or Speirs. I asked, "Sir?"

Winters clarified, "I've been hearing some talk amongst the officers about you and Sobel."

"Oh, that," I recalled.

He asked, "Are they true?"

"Depends on what you've heard," I replied. I wasn't sure what people were saying, and I was afraid of admitting anything.

Winters sighed and responded, "I know that you're always trying to do the right thing, Emmeline, but sometimes, the right thing isn't staying quiet to protect those around you. If something has happened between you and Sobel, you need to speak up."

I nodded, but still didn't know what to say. Sobel hadn't done anything to me yet, except for making me uncomfortable and making advances at me that could easily be blown off as something innocent.

The incidents between Jefferson and me was another matter entirely. That was something that was worth mentioning, but I wasn't sure I should bring it up. I didn't know how it would look having two situations similar to each other brought up, especially because I was involved in both cases.

I looked at Winters and said, "I understand, sir. Nothing is going on."

"If you decide that you want to talk about whatever it is that is going on, you know that you can trust me," he said reassuringly.

I smiled warmly at him and nodded. I knew that he was a good man and would help me if I needed it, but I still couldn't shake Speirs's comment about needing to take care of myself. I had to prove it to myself and to him that I could stand up for myself. I wanted that chance to prove it.


	17. Hangovers

**A/N: Thank you AwesomeBlonde89 and guest for your reviews! I'm glad you are still reading and reviewing!**

**AB89, I wanted a character that I think most people could relate to, one that wasn't super tough, flirty or insert whatever kind of person. I wanted someone who was normal yet different enough to be sort of the outcast, and by your review letting me know that you can relate to her made me smile!**

**Here is the next chapter! Reviews make for happier days! Enjoy!**

* * *

Morning had arrived and some of the girls were hung over from their night of partying with the men. I laughed at how sensitive they were being.

I opened the curtains in our barracks to allow some light into the dark room.

"Ah! Close those curtains! Are you out of your mind?" Anne shouted at me as she hid her head under her pillow.

"Stop yelling!" Sarah shouted a muffled cry from under her blanket.

Charlotte groaned, "Would you all shut up?"

I looked over at Darla as I closed the curtains slightly. She smiled at me, motioning me toward the door.

We stepped outside and started to laugh. I asked, "How shall we spend the day?"

Darla motioned behind us as she stated, "Well, whatever it is, I think it's just you and me. Those three are going to be laid up all day with those hangovers."

I nodded. "True."

She started to walk and I followed her. I asked, "How did you enjoy the evening?"

She smiled and deflected the question with one of her own. "What were you and Lieutenant Winters discussing last night?"

"Don't do that! What happened last night?" I questioned.

She smiled and replied, "I guess I'll have to tell you later."

I rolled my eyes, realizing that she wouldn't give me anymore information than that. I answered her question, "Lieutenant Winters wanted to know if the rumors of Sobel and me were true."

"Are they?" she asked, looking at me.

"I don't even know what they are!" I pointed out.

She explained, "From what I've heard, you were propositioned by him."

"That's the rumor?" I asked, shocked.

She nodded, continuing walking through the base.

I explained, "Honestly, nothing happened, but I'm afraid that something could have, if it weren't for..."

She looked up at me and asked, "If it weren't for...for what?"

I swallowed as I replied, "Lieutenant Speirs."

"What does he have to do with anything?" she questioned.

I explained, "Well, the thing is...Sobel wanted to see me in his office one night, and Speirs told him that he had me doing some task, which Sobel took offense, but backed down. So, in all honesty, nothing happened."

Darla shuddered as she replied, "But it sounds like something could have."

I nodded and said, "I think Speirs knew that too. He asked me what was going on there, but I had no way of saying."

"You mean that you didn't want to say anything," she stated.

I looked at her. "What does that mean?"

Darla rolled her eyes before saying, "Face it, Em. You're trying to do the right thing, as always. You don't want to get anyone into trouble, and you don't want to be fingered as the one who tattles, even if it means putting yourself in harms way."

I shook my head as I replied, "I don't think so-"

She cut me off, "I do. Emmeline, when will you learn that you have to stand up for yourself even if that means turning people in."

I bit my lip before replying, "I've been in that position before, Darla. You know this."

She nodded. "It's not like the place you grew up in, Emmeline. You have to know that by now."

I sighed. "It's not easy."

"Life isn't meant to be easy," Darla stated as she started to walk away from me.

I watched for a moment. She had a point. I decided that the next time that I was in those situations, I would speak up and put an end to it. Darla turned around and looked at me. She asked, "Are you coming?"

I jogged to catch up to her as we headed into the mess hall.

That afternoon, Darla and I walked back to our barracks. We headed inside and saw the girls were still in bed, hiding from the light. Charlotte had poked her head out from under her pillow. She asked, "What have you guys been doing all morning?"

"More than you, apparently," I stated with a smile.

Darla replied, "Well, we went for a walk...talked for a while, and got some coffee. What have you done all morning?"

Charlotte started to sit up slowly, holding her head. She looked up at us and replied, "I think I was debating jumping in front of a Jeep, or shooting myself in the foot."

"That sounds like a fun afternoon," I joked.

Charlotte shot me a look, and my smile disappeared. She started to stand up and head to her footlocker.

Darla asked, "How are the rest of you? Still hiding in your cots?"

Anne muttered something and rolled over, while Sarah groaned loudly. I laughed loudly, ignoring the protests of the suffering three. It wasn't long before Darla joined me.

I stifled my laughter and apologized, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's not funny..."

Darla burst into laughter again, and I chuckled, trying not to laugh at them anymore.

Charlotte muttered, "Yeah, keep laughing. It's real funny."

Darla stopped and mentioned, "We were supposed to spend this week together before we were shipped out, and you guys are wasting the day away, hiding under the blankets!"

Sarah popped out from her blanket and stated, "Yeah, well...my head hurts!"

"It's called being hung over, Sarah...This is what happens when you drink a lot in one evening!" Darla explained.

Charlotte replied, "I think we all learned our lesson that we won't drink this much again..."

Anne muttered loudly, "At least in one evening!"

There was a knock on the door and the three girls shouted all sorts of protests at the door. I shook my head, holding in laughter as I stood up to see who was at our door.

When I got to it, I opened it to see Randleman standing before me. He peered past me into the barracks when he heard the loud protests.

I smiled as I stepped out asking, "What's going on?"

He replied, "Well, we had an incident."

"Who's hurt?" I asked.

He smiled as he stated, "Me."

"You?" I questioned. I started to look at him, trying to find the injury.

He pointed to his shoulder, explaining, "I think I tore something."

I looked at his shoulder, then up to his face. I shook my head and said, "All right, let's go to the med station and take a look."


	18. Help From Friends

**A/N: Thank you BatOutOfHell-Madness, AwesomeBlonde89, guest, anon, and Guest for your reviews! I have to chuckle at the demands for more Speirs! They are coming, but right now, it's character development! Stick with me and you'll see plenty of the broody Lieutenant! Promise!**

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Reviews make for happier days!**

* * *

When we walked into the med station, it was empty. I pointed to a table as I walked passed it. I said, "Hop up."

Randleman sat on the table and waited for my next order.

I started to gather a few things. I ordered, "Take your shirt off, please."

He followed my order and sat there waiting. I carried the items that I gathered and made my way over to him. I set them down on the tray next to the table he was sitting on. I looked up at his shoulder and saw the huge bruise that was visible.

I exclaimed, "What happened to you?"

Randleman replied quietly, "I got into a fight."

"A fight? With whom?" I questioned, starting to touch his bruised right shoulder.

He blinked but didn't say anything. I looked up at him, and noticed that he was trying to avoid eye contact with me.

"Bull?" I asked.

He glanced down at me and replied, "It was a legitimate fight."

I bit my lip and asked, "Did you win?"

He smiled wide as he said triumphantly, "Yes, ma'am!"

I shook my head, trying to hide my smile. When I touched his bruise, he cringed. I asked again, "Who did you end up fighting?"

He grew serious again. I held his gaze as he replied, "A man from another unit."

I furrowed my brows at him. I asked, "Why are you avoiding my questions? Who are you protecting?"

He looked down at me and whispered, "You."

My mouth fell open. "Me?"

He replied, "We know all about Sergeant Jefferson from Dog Company."

"What?" I asked shocked.

He nodded as he said, "Let's just say that he won't be bothering you anymore."

I bit my lip and whispered, "What happened? What will Lieutenant Winters or Lieutenant Speirs say when they find out about this?"

Randleman placed his large hands on my shoulders. He smiled warmly and questioned me, "Who do you think set it up?"

I glanced up at him. I blinked as he smiled, releasing me from his hold. I didn't understand. I asked, "How-"

He chuckled as he replied, "Let's just say that word gets around when our nurses are unhappy and we take matters into our own hands."

"What happened to him?" I asked quietly.

Bull replied, "He's going home. Too hurt to fight, the doctors say."

I chuckled a little and asked, "You did this for me?"

He nodded and replied, "We all drew straws. I won."

I laughed, and he joined in as I finished wrapping up his bruised shoulder. I finally understood what Darla was talking about, and I was grateful for the men in my unit for loving me.

The next few days had gone by so quickly, as the girls and I spent our time doing mundane things. We realized that our week off together had shortened significantly. We were ordered to help pack up the med station and help organize and inventory the supplies.

Once that was finished, we had to make sure that all of the medics, including ourselves, had the appropriate supplies in our packs. We also had the task of making sure that all of the med kits for every man in each division had the same materials, making sure that nothing was missing from any of the kits. It took the rest of our week together, but we made the most of it regardless.

We talked to each other, sharing more personal things with each other, but I still held back. There were just some things that I didn't feel was necessary for any of them to know about. Darla knew more than the others, but I still didn't share much about my past with her. I didn't want to bore anyone with the details of my childhood, when they all had something happy to share about theirs. I didn't want to ruin the mood of the last days together.

We had one more night together, but by the time we were finished with our tasks at the med station, we were too tired to go out. We ended up just returning to our barracks and falling asleep.

The next morning, we were ordered to start packing our things. We were going to be getting on a train, heading out to a location that we knew nothing about. We were not told anything, and we had to be ready to go within the hour.

I didn't have a lot of things to pack, so I helped the girls pack their things, so that we would make it on time.

Sarah stated, "I've never been anywhere outside the country! I can't wait! What if we get stationed in Paris?"

We watched as Sarah swooned over the thought of being in Paris. I shook my head, slightly amused by her naivety.

Anne replied, "Something tells me that we aren't going to Paris! I don't think that anyone would be focused on their jobs if we were there!"

Charlotte chimed in, "I think it's very mysterious! Going to a place we know nothing about, to meet others...it's exciting, I agree, but I don't think it matters where we go, just as long as we are together."

Darla cleared her throat as she added, "I hate to break it to you girls, but once we get to wherever we're to be stationed, we're going to be separated. Until we get there, this is the last time we're all going to be together. We need to hold onto these moments."

I nodded in agreement. She had a point that we had not thought of. We were in different parts of the military tree. It didn't occur to me until she said it, that we'd be separated. We've been together since the beginning, and I was overwhelmed by the thought of never seeing the girls after this trip. I knew that it was going to happen sooner or later, but it didn't seem real until Darla pointed it out.

Darla approached me and whispered, "It's going to be okay. We've got another month or so, I'm guessing. We just have to make the most of each day."

I replied as I tucked a piece of my light hair behind my ear, "I know...I just didn't realize that it was so soon. I keep forgetting that we're not in the same division."

She nodded and walked away to continue gathering her things so that I could shove them into her bags.


	19. Train Ride Talks

**A/N: Thank you AwesomeBlonde89, BatOutOfHell-Madness, FrankieAndHerTroubledTown, and guest for your reviews! I'm stoked you're reading and liking the story!**

**Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!  
Reviews make for happier days!**

* * *

We piled into the train, and we found a spot to sit together.

The train pulled away from the station once everyone was on board. Pretty soon, we were traveling through the countryside heading to another city, where we would be given new orders to follow.

We talked through most of the trip, sleeping some of the time, but we held up to our promise of making the most of the time we had left together.

We shared things with each other that brought us closer together, like secrets and stories of home. I found that I was joining in on some of the conversations, but I realized that I didn't have a lot to add to some of the topics.

Everyone had family who would be writing to them, people who would miss them if something were to happen to them. I didn't. I was alone, except for Darla and the rest of the girls, plus the men from my company.

I stood up and started to walk down the aisle of our car. I had to stretch my legs, and this talk of family was making me realize why I was so different from the others.

When I reached the back of the car, I spotted Webster sitting in one of the booths. I bit my lip, and approached him. I stopped at the edge of his seat. He looked up to meet my gaze.

"May I sit?" I asked.

He nodded as he removed his things from the seat adjacent from him and placed it on the floor.

I sat down and asked, "How are you?"

He shrugged as he said, "I've been better."

I licked my dry lips as I stated, "I've been wanting to talk to you."

"It's okay, Emmeline. Really," he started.

I shook my head as I replied, "No, it's not. I have to tell you something. I need you to understand what happened that night."

He looked at me, waiting for what I had to say.

I started, "The thing is...I-it's been brought to my attention that..."

I sighed, trying to think of the right words. He smiled to comfort me as I tried again. "I've never been very good at knowing when someone has feelings for me, unless it's bad. The truth of the matter is that I've lived a pretty neglected life."

I could tell that he wasn't expecting me to say these things.

I explained, "I grew up in a home for girls. I was there since I was about ten years old. My father was killed in World War I and my mother couldn't handle it."

Webster watched me as I continued talking, "I would never wish anyone to live in conditions that I had to in that wayward home. I've never thought that I was good enough for anyone, and I struggle with that each and every day. I want you to know that I do love you, but not in the way that you want me to. I'm not even sure if I know how."

He asked me, "Why are you telling me this?"

I replied honestly, "Because I needed you to know the truth about me. I've never shared this with anyone. Also, the girls are back there are talking about family and things like that, and I can't talk about mine...I don't have that. I love that you're my best friend, David, and I hope that wherever we end up...we will still have that."

He smiled warmly at me and replied, "I'd rather be your best friend then never having you in my life at all. Who knows, maybe one day, we'll be together in the end."

I chuckled at his optimism. "We'll have to see, but promise me you won't hold a candle for me."

"I could teach you how to love," he whispered.

I nodded and said, "I bet that you could...but right now, I don't think it's the right time. I'm still broken...Anyways...I just wanted you to know what happened that night."

Web nodded and watched as I stood up. I said, "I guess I will see you around."

I walked away from him and headed back to the girls.

When we arrived at the train station, we were told that we would be heading to the ship yard. We were piled into buses and driven there.

We marched into the ships that would carry us to our final stop. Once we were on the ship, the girls and I were looking out across the New York harbor.

Anne stated, "I've always wanted to go to New York, marry some rich hot shot, and become a famous singer."

I smiled at the thought. "I bet you would have been great too!"

Sarah added, "I've never been here before...of course, now that I'm here, I can't wait to leave it."

Darla hugged Sarah. "We're going to be okay. Each one of us. We just have to make sure that we keep in touch."

"That will have to be your responsibility, Darla," Charlotte pointed out.

We knew that all of the mail would be sent to the home base, and the only way that any of us would know what was going on with each other was if we wrote to Darla, and Darla wrote to us.

Darla nodded, whispering, "I promise to keep you all updated on each other. We're a family now, and we're going to have to keep strong for each other, so we can all come home after it's over."

Suddenly, we were standing there, side by side, hugging each other, and watching the sun set as the ship began to pull away from the harbor.

Just as we started to pass by the Statue of Liberty, Sarah added, "I always thought she was bigger."

We chuckled as we watched Liberty grow smaller into the distance.


	20. Then There Were Two

**A/N: Thank you bethrodrigues77, FrankieandHerTroubledTown and Cyclops for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Keep the reviews coming!**

**Reviews make for happier days! Enjoy!**

* * *

That night, I stood on the deck of the ship looking out into the ocean. I glanced up and saw the star that Webster pointed out to me. I smiled, feeling a little comfort from it.

"What are you doing up here?" a voice whispered softly behind me.

I glanced over my right shoulder to see Darla standing there. She approached me and stood next to me.

"I needed to think," I replied.

Darla exhaled, saying, "If someone catches you up here, you could get into trouble."

"Yeah, I know," I muttered, staring out into the ocean before us.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" she asked.

I asked her, "What do you think will become of all of us, Darla?"

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

I looked at her and stated, "You know that we're not all going to make it back alive. I have doubts about me living through this."

"You can't talk like that-" she started.

I explained, "I know, I know...but...let's face the facts for a moment. Out of all of us, who has the highest chances of getting killed?"

Darla admitted, "You and Anne."

"Exactly," I agreed.

"So, what are you saying?" she asked.

I inhaled sharply before saying, "What do you think will happen to Sarah or Charlotte when they find out that one of us, or even both of us, got killed? Do you think they would be able to handle that? Do you honestly think that they would be able to cope with this information alone?"

"We're nurses, Em. We're surrounded by death," Darla pointed out.

I argued, "Yeah, death of those around us...not of each other. They are young still, Darla. They've never experienced death before..."

"Like you?" she asked.

I looked at her surprised. I sighed and nodded.

Darla replied, "They aren't as naive as you think, Em. I think they are scared, we all are, of what could happen to each other. You can't focus on the things that haven't happened yet. All we can do is live each moment as they come. If you spend all of your time in the future, you're going to miss out on the things happening in the now."

She placed her hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before heading back into the ship toward our shared room.

I turned back to the ocean, realizing that she was right, as always. I needed to try and stay in the now, as difficult as it was going to be.

Several days later, we arrived in England. This would be our home base, and our last training outpost before we would head to war. We were not sure of the exact day of when that was to happen, but we knew that it would be soon enough.

No sooner had we gotten settled into our barracks, did we learn that Anne, Sarah and Charlotte would be leaving to go to their designated divisions. We only had a few days together, and they would be spent in training at the med station, not to mention to training with our men.

We hardly saw each other but when we did, we tried to savor the time together, even though it was short lived.

Anne was transported to the coast to begin training with the men in her unit. Charlotte was needed up at Regiment to treat some of the officers there, and Sarah was called away to train with the Armored Division. The time we thought we had together was taken away from us.

Darla and I were the only ones who stayed in Upottery. Darla had given the girls a notebook and some pencils to write to her, to keep in touch. She had given me one as well.

"I already have a notebook, Darla," I explained, as she handed it to me.

She smiled and said, "I know, but I want you to have this one as well. It will be like a little piece of home away from home."

I took it and placed it into my coat where it would be safe.

Later that morning, Darla sat next to me outside, looking across the fields of Upottery. She admitted, "England is not what I expected it to be."

I looked up at her. "What's different?"

"The smell. The air...the food," she laughed as she named off the things.

I chuckled. Suddenly I remembered something that she had mentioned before we left America. I asked, "So, you and Lieutenant Nixon?"

She blushed as she pushed her brown hair out of her face. "Yeah."

"When did that happen?" I questioned.

She smiled as she confirmed, "It's been going on for quite a while, but you've been too blind to notice."

"Isn't he married, Darla?" I asked.

The blush on her skin grew darker. She exclaimed, "I know! I'm horrible!"

"Darla!" I protested.

She stated, "I wasn't expecting this to happen! It just did!"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" I declared.

"You know what I've always said...You can't choose who you love, and you have to be open to the possibilities!" she replied.

I rebutted, "Yeah, but he's a married man! How would you feel if you were his wife and you found out this was going on?"

"I think if I was his wife, I'd be a very happy woman!" she joked.

I glared at her. "I don't believe this..."

"Okay, fine...I understand what you're saying, but...I can't help but love him, Em. He's a great man. One of the best that I've ever met," Darla confessed.

I shook my head in disbelief. I asked, "How long has this been going on?"

She smiled as she whispered, "About six months?"

"Six months?!" I exclaimed.

She nodded and said, "I can't believe you didn't notice. I thought for sure you'd pick up on it."

"I've been a little preoccupied," I admitted.

"So I've noticed..." Darla agreed.

I asked, "I just thought it was harmless flirting and dancing...What other secrets have you been holding out on me?"

She laughed. "None, I swear!"

I poked her playfully as I said, "You better not be hiding any more from me."


	21. Restless Night

**A/N: Thank you bethrodrigues77 and Jayden for your reviews! (Jayden, I'm including you in here for a review, even though it's not working out on your end?)**

**I'm glad you still like the story! I'm updating early, simply because I am going to be MIA for a couple days, and if there is a freak snow storm, as it is still possible to have here, even in May, I wanted you to have another chapter!  
So, here it is...enjoy!  
Reviews make for happy days!  
**

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Later that afternoon, the Airborne division had assembled into a hanger to discuss the pending jump into occupied territory. Lieutenant Meehan had taken control of Easy Company, as there were some issues involving Sobel.

I had heard rumors of Lieutenant Winters getting a court martial, but nothing ever came from it. The next thing I had heard, Sobel was being sent to Chilton Foliat to be the next training commander for new recruits.

When I heard this news, I was ecstatic! I couldn't have asked for anything better than to be rid of that horrible man. I no longer felt the need to walk on eggshells or fear that I would get into trouble over something trivial. I knew that the men of my company were just as happy to see him gone. I began to wonder if they had something to do with Sobel's dismissal, like they were with Jefferson.

I didn't know much about Lieutenant Meehan, but I had heard enough from the men to know that he was a good man and a good leader who wouldn't let us down. It was enough for me, and I hoped that he would stay true to his word by leading us through the war to the best of his abilities.

Meehan had addressed all of us in the hanger, telling us what our objective was going to be. He suggested that we study the sand tables and photos as well as the maps so that we would know the lay of the land once we were on the ground.

After we were dismissed, I approached the sand tables to look them over. An hour or so had passed by from looking over the information, that my eyes began to glaze over and I couldn't stare at any of the materials any longer.

That night, I tossed and turned in my cot. I couldn't sleep. There was too much going on inside my head. I knew that we would be jumping into Normandy tomorrow evening, and I feared what might happen.

It all seemed so surreal to me. We had been training for this moment for the past two years, and now we would be putting it into action in less than 24 hours.

I rolled over in my cot, when I heard a sigh coming from across the room. I heard Darla groan, "Em...if you can't sleep, would you just walk it off, or do something? I can't sleep with you tossing about like that."

"Sorry!" I whispered to her as I stood up and got dressed. Once I pulled my boots on and tied them. I grabbed my jacket and pulled it on. I opened the door to our barracks and stepped out into the chilly night.

I walked around for a little bit until I was standing by a fence alone. I peered up into the night sky, but couldn't see any of the stars. It was so foggy that I couldn't see above the tree canopy of the woods across the field.

The air was dank and I chuckled as I realized that Darla was right. There was a certain smell about this country that you just couldn't get away from no matter the weather. To me, the wetter the weather, the worse the smell.

"It's a little late to be walking about, don't you agree, Nurse Banks?" a voice spoke behind me.

I turned and watched as Lieutenant Winters approached me. I nodded and replied truthfully, "I couldn't sleep. I was bothering Darla, so I decided to try and walk it off."

He nodded as he stood next to me. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm a little anxious...scared, even," I admitted.

He looked at me and asked, "Why do you think that is?"

I shrugged as I admitted, "I don't know. To be honest with you, I think that I'm more worried about what's going to happen to everyone else."

Winters met my gaze and stated, "I have the same fears."

"You do?" I asked surprised.

He nodded and explained, "I've always been the fond of the men in our unit, you know this. No matter who has been in charge of the company, I have always taken it upon myself to be a good leader and a role model for these men. I have put them before my own needs."

"And you've done an amazing job, sir," I pointed out.

He smiled and added, "So have you."

"Sir?" I asked, clearly not sure what he was saying.

"You have done the same thing. You put others before your own needs. You've always made sure that everyone was taken care of. When they are hurting or tired, no matter how hurt or tired you are, you've been there to help them through it. I think that I speak for everyone when I say that we're all very lucky to have you in our unit," he stated.

I smiled and said, "Well, I think they would say the same thing about you. In fact, I think that by the actions of the men, it shows how much they appreciate and respect you."

He nodded, smiling warmly at me. "You're a great girl, Emmeline."

I looked up at him, surprised. "Thank you...sir."

"You're going to be all right out there. I promise you that. You have a lot of men in the division who are going to make sure of that," he promised.

I asked, "How can you be so sure?"

He replied, "Because we all love you."

With those words said, Dick Winters turned and walked away from me.

His words echoed in my mind. I chuckled as I realized that everyone in my life here, has said something to that effect. Darla had been saying it for a long time, as had Webster. Randleman admitted that when I was patching him up from his fight with Jefferson, and now Winters had said it. I smiled as I realized that they were right. I would be all right out there behind enemy lines, because I had people who loved me.

I suddenly remembered one of the last memories of my mother. We were at the post office placing a stamp on the envelope addressed to my father who was on the front lines of the war.

I asked her, "Why is it so important that we mail letters to Papa? Why can't we just tell him we love him when he gets home?"

My mother smiled down at me and replied, "Because it's our love that helps him fight. It's with our love that assures us that he will return to us."

"What happens if he doesn't get our letters?" I asked.

My mother's smile faltered slightly before replying, "Then he's got no reason to live."


	22. Postponed

**A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to update! No, I did not get snowed in again, like I was last time. Life just got in the way...silly life!**

**Thank you bethrodrigues77, guest(s), lalkness, queenie, AwesomeBlonde89, and Sharktopus for all of your reviews! Keep them coming, please! I love hearing from all of you!**

**Without further ado, here is the next installment! Enjoy! Reviews make for happier days!**

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The next day, Darla had to wake me up. I didn't sleep at all the night before because I was so stressed about the jump. I groaned as she smiled down at me. I felt as though the moment that I finally was able to sleep, she was waking me up.

"Long night?" she chuckled.

I inhaled deeply, biting my tongue so that I didn't wind up saying something to her that I would regret. Instead, I sat up in my cot and stretched. I rubbed my face as I swung my legs over the side of my bed.

Darla walked away from me, still chuckling at me, before returning to me with a cup of hot coffee. "Drink up. You've got a busy night ahead of you."

I took the cup and started to drink it. Feeling the effects almost immediately, I began to stand and dress for my day.

By the time I was dressed, I grabbed all of my things and headed out to the assembly area to begin checking all of my equipment for the jump.

The men had already assembled and had all of their things spread out on the ground as they checked off their belongings.

I dropped my bag to the ground and knelt down next to it to do the same.

Perconte approached me. "Hey, Em. Want some face paint?"

I glanced up at him and shook my head. "Not right now, Frank."

"You look terrible," he pointed out.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Thanks?"

He shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. Just- I mean, did you sleep at all?"

I sighed before replying, "No, not really."

Perconte was about to say something, but instead walked away, leaving me alone.

I opened my bag and began to pull things out, setting them neatly on the ground to take inventory. It didn't take me long, as I usually kept everything neat and organized in my bag.

Once everything was spread out on the ground before me, I started to look them over. It looked like everything was accounted for, so I started to put them back into the bag.

A tap on my shoulder came from behind me. I stopped what I was doing and turned to see who was standing there.

Luz smiled down at me. He was holding an empty bag in his free hand.

I furrowed my brow, asking, "What's that?"

He looked at the bag and explained, "This...is your musette bag."

I took it from him, giving it a good look. I wasn't sure what this was even for, so I looked back up at him. "What's this for?"

"To put your stuff in," Luz replied.

I noticed a cord with a cuff at the end of the bag. I grabbed it with my left hand and asked, "How does this work?"

Luz laughed. "I'm trying to find someone who knows. I'll get back to you, if I ever find someone!"

I glanced at him as he walked away from me. I sighed as I looked back down at the new bag. I had no idea what this was for, how it worked, or why I even needed it.

With all of my equipment, plus medical supplies, adding this bag to the mix meant that I wouldn't be able to walk, let alone stand on my own.

I began to transfer things from my bag to this new one, and looked around at the other men to see if someone had figured out how to use it. So far, no one knew.

As I finished putting my things into this new bag, and folding my old one into the mix, I heard a voice shout loudly across the assembly area, "Easy Company! Listen up!"

Everyone turned to see who was ordering us to gather around. It was Lieutenant Meehan. He was standing on top of a Jeep, trying to wave all of us near him.

"The channel coast is socked in with rain and fog. No jump tonight! The invasion has been postponed! We're on a 24 hour stand down," he explained.

Groans washed over the men like a wave. My heart skipped a beat. I was happy to not be jumping tonight, but I knew that it was only a delay to the inevitable.

I walked back to my spot and grabbed my things. The new bag weighed twice as much as my old one, and with everything inside of it, I had a hard time getting it off the ground.

"Can I give you a hand there?" a voice asked from behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Webster smiling at me, clearly amused by my struggle.

I set the bag back down and smiled. He approached me and picked up the bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

We started to walk back to the barracks, when Webster asked, "How are you doing?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I didn't sleep last night."

"Nerves?" he asked.

I sighed. "I guess. I think I'll be calling it an early night for sure."

He laughed as we started to approach my barracks. We stopped by the door, and he handed me my bag. I took it from him, but due to the weight of it, it crashed to the floor before I could stop it.

Webster laughed at me, picking it up and setting it inside the door of my barracks. He said, "I'm not sure how you're going to manage that bag when you get it attached to you."

I chuckled as I asked, "Attached to me?"

He cocked his head to the side and replied, "Yeah...that cuff goes around your ankle."

"You're joking!" I hoped.

All traces of humor had left his face. He shook his head as he asked, "Did anyone tell you how to use the bag?"

I shook my head. "It seemed that no one knew."

Webster nodded. "I'll help you tomorrow."

"Thanks," I muttered embarrassed. I started to bite my lip.

He looked over his shoulder as he started to leave. He stopped briefly to say, "I hear there's a movie showing in the mess hall. You should come. Get your mind off of the jump."

I shrugged as I replied, "Maybe. Thanks again, David."

He smiled once more before turning and leaving me there.


	23. Heading to War

**A/N: Thank you bethrodrigues77, guest, Dancing Squid, Lovin it, and queenie for your reviews! **

**I'm updating again because I was gone for so long in between my normal updating schedules. Lovin it, I usually update at least once a week, unless I'm gone, then I try to make up for it like this time! **

**As for everyone wondering where Speirs has disappeared to, I just want to touch base on that. Queenie, you're pretty close with your assumption in your review! Speirs started out in Dog Company, and Emmeline is in Easy, so seeing the two of them interacting a lot right now wasn't realistic. But not to worry! Once they jump, you'll be seeing more of our favorite brooding commander! Just be patient!**

**So, without further ado, here is the next installment! Reviews make for happier days, so keep them coming! Enjoy!**

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I had decided not to go see the movie that was playing. Instead, I walked around the base one last time.

It was still chilly for an evening in June. I shook my head as I thought about how cold England seemed.

I started to approached the corner of one of the buildings when I heard loud banging coming from behind it.

I carefully walked around the corner to see that Guarnere was punching and kicking some of the empty supply crates. I waited a moment to see if he would notice my presence.

When he didn't, I slowly inched my way towards him. "Hey Bill?"

He spun around to look at me. "How long have you been there?"

I replied, "Not long...are you okay?"

He ran his right hand through his dark hair, sighing heavily. "No. I'm not, and I want to be left alone, all right?"

I looked at him concerned. "Bill...what's going on?"

He hung his head before asking, "Is it so hard for you to leave me be?"

I bit my lip before whispering, "I'm sorry...I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I already told you that I'm not! Why are you still here?" he shouted at me.

I blinked at him. I could see his face falter a little, so I whispered, "I'm just worried about you, Bill..."

He sighed heavily and approached me. I tensed, which he saw, so he stopped. He stated, "Look...I just got some bad news about my brother...he-"

I waited patiently for Bill to continue, but I already made the connection. I nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Bill."

He met my gaze and nodded. I could tell that he was glad that he didn't have to say it. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, well...I better get back inside."

I nodded and watched as he walked passed me. I kept my eyes on him as he disappeared around the corner of the building.

I looked up into the sky, closing my eyes, and saying a silent prayer.

The next evening, I felt fully rested and just as I was finished dressing for the jump, I looked at Darla.

She was already crying and I held back my own tears. She came up to me and wrapped her arms around me for the last time.

I hugged her back, closing my eyes. I held onto this moment as long as I could, because I didn't know what would happen once I left.

We didn't need to speak, nor did we need to ask why there were tears. We knew already. There was so much that we didn't know, things that we couldn't know about what would happen in the minutes, hours and days to come.

Would we survive this war? Would we come out of it unscathed? Would we be the same then as we were now? All of these untapped emotions engulfed our very being, and brought fear to our hearts.

We had tried for so long not to allow these emotions, these feelings, bring us down but we loved each other and we feared for the fate of one another, and those that had already left us.

Suddenly, there was a knock on our door. I turned to see who had opened the door, and there stood Webster.

He saw the two of us standing there, holding each other, and Darla uncontrollably crying. He walked up to us and wrapped his arms around the two of us, joining in the hug.

Finally, he pulled away and stated, "We've got to go now, Em."

I nodded and looked back at Darla, who was wiping the tears from her face. I forced a smile and said, "It'll be okay, Darla. I promise."

"Yeah...yeah..." she whispered back. I think that she knew that I was trying to ease her nerves.

I looked at Webster. He smiled at me, and picked up my heavy musette bag. He slung it over his shoulder and started for the door, with me close behind.

"Emmeline!" Darla shouted at me.

Webster and I stopped at the door and turned to look back at her. She approached us again, and hugged me one last time. She whispered into my ear, "I love you. Come back to me safe."

I kissed her cheek and whispered back, "I will. I promise. I love you too."

We pulled away again, and Darla looked at Webster. "Keep her safe, Web."

He nodded and replied in complete seriousness, "I intend to."

I glanced up at him, and he gave me a shy smile as he walked out of the barracks. I looked at Darla once more, and forced myself to leave her standing there alone and crying.

I sighed, and finally turned my back to her. I had to keep telling myself not to turn around to look at her, or else I would start crying, and never leave.

As we approached the assembly area, Webster reassured me, "We're going to be fine, Emmeline. I promise."

I nodded, unsure of what to say, if I should say anything at all. I bit my lip as we approached our plane. He set my bag down on the ground and started to strap it to my left ankle. As he was strapping the bag to my ankle, my eyes scanned the assembly area. My eyes caught Speirs staring across the runway at me. When our eyes locked, he quickly looked away. I couldn't tell what was going through his mind.

When Webster was finished, he stood up and looked into my darting eyes. He asked with a hint of concern, "Are you ready?"

I replied shakily, "As long as you are with me."

He smiled, and placed his gentle hands on my shoulders. "I'll be there for you. Don't worry."

I asked in a barely a whisper, "What about after we jump?"

He never hesitated in replying. "I'll find you."

He said it in such way that I couldn't help but believe him. I nodded as he turned around to listen to the final words of Lieutenant Winters.

Winters looked at all of us as he addressed us, "Listen up! Good luck. God bless you. I'll see you in the assembly area."

He gave all of us one last look before shaking the hand of each one of us. When he reached me, he shook my hand, then with his free hand, he placed it comfortingly on my shoulder. He smiled, then started to head down the rest of the line to the others.

I bit my lip, thinking over everything that I had endured to even be standing in front of the plane. I watched as the men in front of me started to pile into the planes.

Webster was in front of me, and as soon as he was in the plane, he turned to help me up.

I struggled to walk, as I was trying to carry this heavy musette bag, but I had help from those around me. When I finally stumbled into the plane, I dragged my bag to my seat, which was next to Webster.

He looked at me, smiling to calm me down. I patted his right knee and before I could withdraw my hand, he grabbed it and held it.

I didn't bother to pull away. It was comforting to have someone care enough to hold my hand, when we weren't really supposed to.

I heard the plane start up and could feel the vibrations throughout the plane from the engine. My breathing picked up as I could feel my nerves getting the better of me.

Webster squeezed my hand as if he knew that I was starting to grow anxious. I closed my eyes and started to calm myself down.

We wouldn't be in the drop zone for several hours, so I knew that in order to keep from making myself sick, I needed to calm down, somehow.

I opened eyes just as they had started to move the plane down the strip. It wasn't long before I felt the plane pick up speed and lift off the ground.

I looked at Webster, who just smiled reassuringly as we headed for war.


	24. The Jump of a Lifetime

**A/N: Thank you bethrodrigues77, Boo-ya, BoB16234, The Jabster and queenie for your reviews! I'm loving them! Keep them coming!**

**As I mentioned before, seeing a lot of Speirs during training wasn't possible to do, given their units, but now they have jumped so...you will be seeing more of him! Keep an eye out!**

**Reviews make for happier days! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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A couple of hours later, I could hear the prop blasts around the plane. I turned in my seat to look out the small window. I could make out the bright blasts in the thick clouds as we neared the enemy.

Webster grabbed my left hand again, causing me to look over at him. He shouted over the noise of the plane and the blasts from outside, "Remember what I told you! I'll find you!"

I nodded and was about to reply, but we heard our jump master shout, "Stand up!"

Everyone stood up, and Webster let go of my sweaty hand. He was suddenly two people behind me.

I faced the front of the line, as I heard our next order, "Hook up!"

I quickly hooked onto the line as the plane started to shake violently. We cleared the heavy cloud cover, and the scene was terrifying!

Tracers were being shot up into the night sky at us, followed by prop blasts. Before the order to check equipment was given, the plane jostled us around. Several people fell while others grabbed the walls of the plane to keep on their feet.

I fell to my knees, and struggled to stand up. The man behind me helped me back to my feet.

Before we knew it, the jump light went off. I gasped at how quickly it was happening. We didn't check equipment, nor sound off for it. I was suddenly afraid, as I watched the people in front of me jumping out of the plane, and before I knew it, I was next in line.

I knew that I couldn't hesitate. I had to jump. So I did.

I started to fall and looked up. My chute didn't open. I realized that I was falling to the earth with no chute to stop me, to save me. I remembered suddenly to pull on my reserve chute cord.

I pull and prayed that it would work. Suddenly, I felt my body jerk back up into the midnight sky. I glanced up and saw that my reserve chute had opened.

My heart was pounding so hard as I looked around that I thought my ribs would break. My stomach was in knots and I could tell that I was shaking from adrenaline or fear, I couldn't say.

Above me, a plane burst into flames and started to plunge down to the ground. I watched as it hit the ground and exploded. I wasn't sure if anyone made it off the plane alive.

Looking around, I could see the tracers flying all around the black sky, in search of planes and men. I could feel the bile in my stomach rising and I was afraid. This jump was not as comforting as it had been when I had trained. There was no flashbacks of my mother, nor the feel of her presence.

I was alone. I was afraid and I was starting to descend onto occupied territory.

I glanced down to see where I was heading. I was lucky that I had missed the tree line, but I saw something that didn't look right.

As I neared it, I realized that it was a small body of water, such as a pond.

I quickly pulled on the risers, trying to steer myself away from the water, as I could already see a few chutes that cloaked the top of it.

The chute didn't cooperate. I landed in the middle of the water and sank. I was able to get one last breath in before I was submerged. My heavy musette bag pulled me down further into the water, and I feared how deep this body of water was.


	25. Found

**A/N: Thank you bethrodrigues77, Guest(s), and Holla for your reviews! Keep them coming!**

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I opened my eyes, fumbling around in the water, trying to move the chute in front of me. When I finally was able to get it away from me, I saw a fellow paratrooper staring wide eyed back at me.

I let out a quick and startled shriek, and kicking myself inwardly for wasting the valuable air that I desperately needed.

The man had long been dead, but his eyes were wide and staring at me.

I pulled on my harness, trying to free myself, but it was useless. I couldn't get out of it.

I suddenly realized that I needed to act fast as I was starting to feel the pressure of being under water, holding what air I had left.

I reached forward and grabbed the dead paratrooper's trench knife. I began to cut myself out of my harness as quickly as my hands would allow.

Once I was freed, I quickly bent down and cut the small cord of the musette bag from my ankle, which released me from the water's grasp. I started to float to the top of the water, and I kicked to make the process go faster.

I broke through the surface of this water that was housing a couple fellow troopers, and I gasped for much needed air.

I swam over to the bank and pulled myself half out. I coughed up the cold water, and inhaled the precious air, resting my head on the bank.

I could hear weapons being fired all around. I couldn't tell how close they were, but they were there. As I lay there inhaling air, I heard loud footsteps approaching me, and voices that I didn't recognize.

I froze. Part of me thought that if I didn't move, maybe they would pass by thinking I was dead.

The footsteps continued to approach me. Then, I heard the voices speaking over me.

"Was haben wir denn hier?" one of them asked.

His friend asked, "Ist das eine Frau?"

"Ja, es ist..." the first one replied.

"Ist sie tot?" the friend asked.

I didn't know a lot of German, but Webster had taught me some in our free time. I knew enough to know that they realized that I was a woman and it didn't help that my long wet hair was bound in a braid which they could clearly see since my helmet had fallen off. I was confident that they weren't going to leave me there, dead or alive, I realized they would pick me up.

I opened my eyes, and saw combat boots standing on one side of me. I had a feeling that his friend was most likely standing on the other side of me.

I was still holding the trench knife in my hand. I took in a deep breath, waiting for the moment that I would have to do what I had to. I was afraid to think of having to kill a man, but I didn't have any other options that I could think of.

The boots before me moved as the man knelt down beside me. I felt his hand grab my arm and another hand grab my other arm. I realized that they didn't notice the knife yet.

As soon as I was almost on my feet, I pushed the man on my right away from me, and my adrenaline kicked in.

The men were taken off guard and I was able to tackle the man on my left to the ground. As I straddled the man, I closed my eyes, just as I plunged the knife into his chest. I heard him scream in pain, and I kept pushing it to the hilt.

I opened my eyes, and saw the look in his. He was a young man, probably my age, and I was filled with dread and regret. Before I could turn around to face the man's friend, I heard a gun go off.

I flinched and lowered myself a little, but then everything grew silent, except for the gunfire in the distance.

I glanced over my right shoulder to see the outline of a man standing near the trees.

I couldn't make out who it was, but I knew it wasn't the enemy.

Before I stood, I looked back at the man that I was on top of. I pulled the knife out of his chest, and looked at my hands. They were covered in his blood.

I realized that I would have to live with this death for the rest of my life. I understood that I didn't have any options aside from kill or be killed. I had never taken another person's life before, and I couldn't shake the feeling away.

I had witnessed death a few times before, but it was different this time. Regardless of it being caused by war, I was still ashamed of what I did.

The man who had rescued me had approached, but didn't speak. He started to strip the dead German of supplies.

Suddenly, I remembered Webster's words to me. _"I will find you"_.

I stood up and exclaimed, "Thank you for finding me! I don't think I would have lived if you hadn't have come along!"

I started approach him as I asked, "How was your jump, Webs-"

The man stood up and it was Lieutenant Speirs.

My mouth fell open and I whispered, "Not Webster..."

Speirs looked at me and asked, "Nurse Banks...are you all right?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

He looked at me before asking, "Where is your gear?"

I glanced over to the water before admitting, "I had to dump it."

He never looked at the water, but kept his gaze on me. He asked, "Do you have a weapon?"

I looked down at my blood covered hands that held the trench knife. I sighed as I met his gaze again.

He gritted his teeth and nodded. Sighing, he reached for his side arm and withdrew it from it's holster. He extended it out for me to take. When I didn't reach for it, he said, "Take it. Come on, take it."

I blinked and finally reached out for it. When I shakily removed it from his hands, he smirked slightly. I exhaled sharply, as I waited for orders.

He looked me up and down before asking, "Are you ready?"

I bit my lip and replied, "Yes, sir."

He started to lead me through the field toward the trees. When we reached them, we stayed within the trees to stay as hidden as we could.

As we walked through the forest, I asked, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned as he kept looking about.

I clarified, "I mean...I guess it's safe to assume we're all off target from our drop zone?"

He replied, "That's about right."

I bit my lip, feeling uncomfortable being with him. I was confused as to the change in his personality. He had seemed distant but then he'd talk to me when no one was around, and now...

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

I blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

He stopped and looked at me. "You're biting your lip, and you've suddenly grown quiet, not to mention you're slowing your pace."

I looked up at him. I stopped biting my lip and apologized, "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just answer the question," he ordered.

I took in a breath before stating, "You confuse me."

He chuckled as he continued to walk. I followed him.

I continued, "You seem so different when it's just you and me, and when you're around others. I don't understand that."

He shook his head before replying, "I think you're reading too much into things, Nurse Banks."

I started to think things over. Was it possible that I was thinking things over too much? I wasn't sure about anything when it came to him anymore.

"What happened between you and Private Webster?" he asked.

I stared at the back of his head. "What?"

"You heard me," he said.

I looked around, confused. I didn't know where this question had come from. I whispered, "He's just a good friend."

"That's not the rumor," Speirs suggested.

I could feel my cheeks growing hot and was thankful it was dark so that he couldn't see them. I asked, "What is the rumor then?"

Speirs suddenly grabbed me and pushed me to the ground, with him leaning over me. I was about to protest, but he placed one of his hands over my mouth, preventing me from making any noise.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a few people walking passed us. Whether they were our men or the enemy, we couldn't be sure. I knew that Speirs wasn't about to shout 'flash', nor use the cricket, just in case they were the enemy. If it was the enemy, we would be severely out numbered, and would be killed.

Speirs waited another moment before removing his hand from my mouth. He looked down at me and whispered, "Let's go."

I nodded. He pulled me up onto my feet. I followed him through the darkened forest.


	26. Unprepared

**A/N: I am updating again so soon simply because it is the 69th year anniversary of D-Day.**

**Thank you bethrodrigues77 and Day of Days for your reviews. **

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We walked several miles without seeing another soul. We didn't speak much either, which I was grateful for.

There was something about this man that made me feel like he knew everything that I had ever done wrong in my life. It was silly of me to feel this way, especially because he had done so much for me already.

He had helped me with Sobel and Jefferson, and then again when I was attacked by those two Germans. I bit my lip as I thought things through. He seemed like a nice guy, but he had an incredibly rough exterior that was almost impossible to break through.

I knew that it wouldn't be impossible to get to know him, but it would take a long time to get there. I wasn't sure if I would have the patience to get there, but I was also unsure of what he thought of me.

Pretty soon, we reached the edge of the forest and had to walk in the open.

I finally asked, "Where are we going, Lieutenant?"

Speirs replied, "There should be a farmhouse up ahead. We need to take a look there."

"Why?" I asked. I didn't remember any farmhouse being on our target sheet.

He explained, "It might be where battalion has set up head quarters."

I followed him carefully through the field as he led on.

After a moment's silence, he finally broke it by asking, "Where are you from, Nurse Banks?"

I watched my feet as I walked. "Here and there."

"Where would that be?" he prodded again.

I realized that it was futile to try and avoid sharing personal information with him, so I stated, "I grew up in Montana."

"Did you like it there?" he questioned me.

I wondered where he was going with this. I replied, "It was okay."

"You're lying, Nurse Banks," he pointed out.

I scoffed, "H-how do you know?"

He stopped and turned to look at me. After boring into my soul with his brooding eyes, he said, "You're a terrible liar."

I bit my lip and asked, "If I told you that it was the worst place I had ever been in my life. What would you say to that?"

He stared into my eyes, making me uncomfortable in the process, as he said, "At least it would be the truth." He glanced down at my lips and added, "Stop biting your lip."

I pursed my lips and asked, "Does that bother you?"

"Yes," he replied curtly.

"May I ask why?" I questioned.

He turned from me and replied, "It's a bad habit."

I cocked my head to the side and continued to follow him. "What?"

He repeated, "It's a bad habit."

"No, I heard you. I don't understand," I admitted.

Speirs stopped and looked at me again. He stated, "You're going to damage your lips by constantly biting them. It's a bad habit...one you should stop."

I blinked at him. "So, you're telling me that you think it's a bad habit like smoking and drinking?"

He smiled at me, a true genuine smile. "I know what you're doing."

"What am I doing?" I asked.

He stepped forward, closing the gap between us. "You're trying to trap me. It's not going to work."

"What?" I asked, stepping back.

He followed and replied, "You were about to tell me that your lip biting is nothing like other bad habits."

He stared at me intensely as I asked, "Isn't it?"

We stood there, just staring at each other. I wasn't sure what he was going to say, or do. I finally broke the silence by asking, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, still staring at me.

I looked away. "Treat me differently when we're alone."

"I treat you the same regardless of who is around," he said as he turned to continue walking.

I cleared my throat and pointed out, "No, you don't. When there are others around, you-"

He raised his left hand, ordering me to be quiet. When he knelt down, I did the same, suddenly looking around for whatever or whoever he heard.

Within moments, we heard the cricket sounds. Speirs aptly pulled his out and responded. Soon after, we were greeted by a couple of our troops.

"Good to see you, Lieutenant," one of the men stated as he approached us.

Speirs replied, "You too, Private."

We stood up to regroup with these men. Speirs asked, "Have they set up battalion near here?"

"Yes sir. Up the path here at the farmhouse," the private replied.

Speirs nodded and looked over his shoulder at me. "Let's get you to battalion."

I looked between him and the three Privates that surrounded him. I inhaled and followed him without question.

We didn't have far to walk and when we got to the road, we could see the building up ahead.

Speirs stated, "When we get to battalion, you'll need to check in to your commander."

I nodded. As we neared the farmhouse, I realized that Speirs didn't say this much to anyone. During the years that I had known him, even from a distance, I had observed that he had spoken more to me in the short amount of time we were together, than he had during the entirety of training.

As we entered the property, I could see a lot of our men getting assembled. I spotted Lieutenant Winters with Compton.

Speirs stopped and turned around to look at me. He stated, "I'll take you where you need to go."

I whispered, "You don't have to...I mean, I think I can find it if you're busy."

He eyed me for a moment. "I'll take you."

I raised an eyebrow at his sudden change in disposition. I realized that I would have to get over his personality changes, but it was going to take some time.

As he led me through the property to where I was supposed to go, I searched the area looking for someone I knew. More importantly, I was looking for Webster.

I was so involved in looking around, that I didn't see that we had arrived to our makeshift med station.

"Nurse Banks?" Speirs spoke.

I blinked up to meet his gaze. "Yes?"

Speirs looked around before looking into my eyes once more. "Looking for someone?"

I cleared my throat. "No. I'm sorry. Thank you, Lieutenant."

He stood there for a moment, and I finally mustered the courage to look him in the eyes. He nodded then walked away from me, without so much of a word.

I stood there watching him walk across the yard, when one of the medics tapped me on the shoulder.

"We need you over here," the man said.

I nodded and said, "I'm coming."

When I rounded the corner of the makeshift med station, I didn't realize that we already had so many wounded that needed tending.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw all the wounded. Nothing could have prepared me for this scene.

The medic asked me, "Where's your stuff?"

I never looked away from the wounded. "I- I lost it."

"How could you lose it? Never mind..." He started to walk back to the wounded. He stopped and pointed to an area around the corner before saying, "I'm sure there's a pack of supplies over there. Find one and let's get to work."

I walked around to see where he was pointing, and saw a few bodies lying in a row. My mouth fell open as I stared at them. I blinked and inhaled deeply. I knew that I needed to focus but it was going to take a lot of concentration to do so.

I approached the bodies and saw that one of them was a medic. I closed my eyes, hoping that it wasn't someone that I knew. It was bad enough that it was men from our own team, and I didn't know how I would react if it was someone that I knew.

I bent down and unbuckled the pack from the dead medic's body. I pulled it away from him and noticed that it was a medic from I Company. I sighed as I stood up, re-buckling the bag to fix the strap.

I slung it over my shoulder, still staring at the dead men. I licked my lips and asked, "Where do you need me to start?"


	27. Sharing Secrets

**A/N: Thank you Day of Days, bethrodrigues77, and Amanda is a Panda8 for your reviews! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and will continue to follow and review! Love hearing your comments!**

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As I was working, I could hear bone shaking booms coming from somewhere nearby. I stopped working for a moment to look up.

The medic stated, "There's a German outpost near here. I think I heard them talking about sending a group out to take it care of it."

"Do you know which group?" I questioned.

The medic shook his head. "No. I'm not even sure when they are planning on doing it."

I looked at the man that I was examining. He had been shot in the shoulder. One of our men had found him and helped him get here. They did the best they could with the limited resources that they had.

I started to remove the blood soaked bandage from his left shoulder. As soon as it was off the wound, I saw how bad it really was. I swallowed and asked, "How did this happen?"

The pale man replied, "During the jump."

My mouth fell open. Suddenly I realized that he had been hit with a bigger round than a normal bullet. The wound was deep and the damage was beyond my skills to help him. I furrowed my brow as I tried the best that I could to clean it up.

I heard voices approaching and looked over my left shoulder to see who was coming.

Strayer and a couple of his assistants walked up to us. Strayer asked, "How's everything here?"

The medic replied, "We're doing the best that we can, sir."

Strayer looked at me, and stated, "You might want to know Nurse Banks, that your unit is heading to take out that outpost."

"Should I be heading out with them, sir?" I asked.

Strayer shook his head. "No. Stay here. We need you here more than they do."

I nodded and watched as Strayer looked around at the work we were doing before he walked away with his men following him.

The medic approached me. He was covered in dried blood. He asked, "You're lucky you don't have to go out there."

"Why's that?" I questioned, suddenly turning back to my patient.

"Because it's hell out there that's why," the man stated as he walked away from me.

I glanced at him as he walked away. I sighed, not sure what to say to that. I understood that everyone had a different way of handling situations like this, but if we didn't stand together when we needed to, what would happen later when things got really bad?

The man I was working on looked at me and asked, "So...how's it look?"

I met his fading green eyes. "It's looking good."

"Liar," he chuckled, then coughed.

I raised an eyebrow before asking, "Why do you think I'm lying?"

He replied, "Because I saw the look on your face when you first saw the wound and I'm not stupid. I was in medical school, you know."

"Really? Why are you here then?" I asked as I continued to work the gaping hole in his shoulder.

He stated, "I thought that I would serve my country...I had hoped to be a medic, but they denied my request."

"Why would they do that?" I asked in honest curiosity.

He looked away from me as he replied, "I guess they needed more troopers instead."

I looked at him. I stopped messing with his wound and asked, "What's your name, soldier?"

He met my gaze and whispered, "Thomas."

I smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you, Thomas. My name is Emmeline."

"Emmeline...lovely," he said as he tried to smile.

I looked back at his shoulder and reached forward to continue my work. He grabbed my hand with his working on. I glanced to look at him.

He shook his head. "Don't."

I cocked my head to the side as I asked, "Don't what?"

"Just don't...I'm not going to make it," he stated.

"You can't say things like that-" I started.

He chuckled. "I know for a fact that I'm not going to make it...so, just don't."

I lowered my hand from his shoulder and asked, "If you don't want me to try and fix you up...what do you want?"

He thought for a moment, still holding my hand, he asked quietly, "Do you think you could just sit with me?"

I looked at him surprised. I nodded and replied, "Yes, of course."

"Help me get over there," he said pointing to the wall with the dead men.

I looked back at him and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to sit somewhere else?"

"It will be easier for you to have me sit there, then you won't have to try and move me later when I..." he let his words drift away.

I sighed and said, "Okay...if that's what you want."

He smiled as he stood up from the cot. He threw his good arm over my shoulder and we slowly walked to the spot he wanted to sit.

I helped him sit down on the ground before I sat next to him.

He swallowed and asked, "Do you think...do you think you could hold me?"

I could feel the tears forming behind my eyes. I blinked them away, as I didn't want to make him feel bad for making me cry. I reached out for him and pulled him into my arms.

He rested his head on my shoulder as we sat there. He asked, "Where are you from, Emmeline?"

I brushed some of his dark hair back as I replied, "I grew up in Montana."

He asked, "What did you do there?"

I bit my lip before replying, "Honestly, I didn't do anything."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. I didn't know how best to answer the question. Suddenly, I stated, "I grew up in a wayward home. It was a dark place filled with dark secrets."

"You mean dark people," he suggested.

I sighed and admitted, "Yeah."

He cleared his throat and asked, "What happened to you?"

I leaned my head against his and replied, "I'm not sure how to respond to that."

"You were beaten there, weren't you?" he asked.

I bit my lip and said, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I said, "It's okay. I've never talked about it to anyone before."

"No one?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's something that no one else could understand."

He suggested, "I bet that I could..."

I smiled slightly and stated, "I was one of the lucky ones. There were several girls who killed themselves just to get away from it all. Things were never easy for me and so I withdrew...I stopped talking to people, stopped sharing things with others...I just became a shadow. When I was old enough and smart enough, I took off. I ran away. I lived each day with new people, new surroundings...and I never looked back. I knew that they would be looking for me so when I heard the military was looking for girls to volunteer as nurses, I signed up. I figured that I could escape my past and help those around me...I feel like I've failed at that too."

Two men carried another man on a stretcher to the cot Thomas was on. One of the men shouted at me, "Nurse! We need your help here! We got a wounded man!"

I looked at them and replied, "I'll be right there."

I heard a familiar voice cry out, "Emmeline! I'm hurting here!"

I looked up and saw that the voice belonged to Wynn. "I'll be right there, Popeye!"

I brushed Thomas's dark hair aside and looked at him. His eyes were closed and he wasn't breathing anymore.

I sighed heavily and felt the tears fall from my dark eyes. I lowered him to the ground, next to his comrades as he asked me to. Then I reached forward and picked up his dog tags. I unclipped them from the chain and put them in my pack.

I looked at him one last time and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Thomas. I'm so very sorry...forgive me."

The man behind me shouted again, "Nurse!"

I stood up and sniffled. "Yeah. I'm coming."

I turned and walked over to them. When I was next to Wynn, I asked, "What happened, Popeye? Where are you hit?"

"It got me in my ass!" he cried.

I looked at his wound, then up to the men standing there. "Thank you. I'll take it from here."

The two men looked at each other before leaving me alone with Wynn.

I asked Wynn, "What happened?"

Wynn told me the story about how he had gotten shot and what the mission was. I had distracted him long enough to cut open a bigger hole in his pants to start cleaning it up.

As he finished his story, a husky voice asked, "Private Wynn?"

I glanced up to see Speirs approaching us. My breath hitched.

Wynn groaned, "Yes sir?"

"What's the situation out there?" Speirs asked as he watched me work.

Wynn grunted, "I'm not sure, sir. There's a lot of Germans there...ah!"

"Sorry, Pop," I apologized. I felt bad, but it was a sensitive area and it was going to be painful to clean it up.

Speirs asked, "How many men do you have out there?"

Wynn replied honestly, "I'm not sure, sir. I think they could use some help...and ammo...ah!"

Speirs looked at me as he said, "Thank you, Private...I'll see what I can do."

I watched as he walked away from us. I hoped that he would be okay out there, just as I had hoped everyone else that participated in the mission would.

Wynn grunted, "For the love of God...Just kill me now and get it over with!"

I looked down at him and asked with a smirk, "Where's the fun in that, Popeye?"

He groaned as he lowered his head onto the cot. I shook my head, slightly amused as I started to bandage it up.

I explained, "You're going to be heading back to England, Pop. You're going to need to go to the hospital there..."

I suddenly had a thought. I asked him, "Hey, Popeye? Do you think you could do me a favor?"

He looked up at me and asked, "What kind of favor?"

"Do you think that you could deliver a letter for me?" I asked.

He asked, "To who?"

I replied, "Darla..."

"Oh, right. She's in England?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. She's working at Home Base. Do you think you could do that for me, if I write it now?"

He nodded as he stated, "Sure thing...as long as you give me some water."

"Done," I replied, smiling at him.


	28. Letters & Reunions

**A/N: Thank you Sydney858 for your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter and keep coming back for more!**

**Reviews make for happy days! Enjoy!**

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I sat across the way overlooking the makeshift med station as I wrote the letter to Darla. It was the best for privacy that I could get given the circumstances. I pulled out the notebook she gave me from my inside coat pocket and opened the cover.

The first page was already written on by Darla. I never noticed it until now. I sat there and read the page setting aside the letter I needed to write before they took Wynn out. Some of the words were difficult to make out, as I had been submerged in the water, allowing the books to get wet.

_Dearest Emmeline,_

_ If you're reading this, then you're already far away from me._

_ Even though you are so far away, I hope that this will find that you are well. _

_ I never expected to have found such an amazing friend in you, someone that I could talk to, share secrets with, and love as a sister would love. I know that you don't like to talk about your past or the things that you've been through, but just know that whenever the day comes that you decide to share, I'll be here waiting, even if it means waiting a lifetime. _

_ I won't make this anymore sappy than it already is, so I'll leave you with just this. By love and grace, I am amazed and blessed to have you in my life. No matter what happens to us in this war, I pray that you will make it through to the end, and we will be reunited once more. _

_ I pray that I will see you again soon. Write to me often, and I will respond to you, sending you love and encouragement when you need it. I miss you already, and you're sitting across the room from me as I write this. You look so sad for some reason, and I so desperately want to go over to you and hug you. _

_ So, I will say that I love you. I love you. I love you. Come back to me safely. _

_ Forever your loving 'sister', _

_ Darla_

I read and reread the note she left in the notebook. I sighed and realized how much I missed her. With everything that has happened in the past 12 hours, I realized how much I depended on her.

I blinked away the tears, bit my lip and turned the page. I pressed the pencil to the page, and began to write my response. I felt the words flow onto the page effortlessly. I told her about the jump, how I had to keep from drowning, how I had to kill that young German to live, and how I was saved by Speirs. I told her about the death that I had seen, and all about Thomas. I even told her that I had not seen Webster, and how I hoped that he was okay, that he would find me. I explained to her that even though I loved Webster as a friend, that I felt calmer around him, safer even.

Then I finished it by telling her how much I missed her and the rest of the girls, but her the most. I told her that I had always felt that she was the mother that I never had, and that I prayed every spare moment that I had to be reunited with her someday soon, and how I hated the war but loved it for bringing us together.

I thanked her for her loving note before signing my name to my letter and pulling the page out to fold. Once it was folded, I kissed it, letting a tear or two escape my eyes. I tucked the letter in my coat pocket and closed the notebook.

I placed the notebook into my coat pocket for safe keeping and withdrew the notebook that I bought.

I looked across the yard and saw Thomas's body lying there. I opened my notebook, and wrote his name inside with today's date. I realized that I wouldn't be able to keep track of every death, but I felt that if I could just keep track of those that I was around to see, to witness, then I could try and contact their families when I got home, if I got home.

I stared at his name in my notebook, before shutting the cover and placing it in the same pocket as Darla's. I stood up and made my way over to Wynn. I bent down to his level.

"Finish your letter?" he asked.

I withdrew the folded paper from my coat and said, "I did. Promise me you won't look at it."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" he asked with a smile.

"I mean it, Wynn...Privacy, please..." I replied as I returned the smile.

He nodded and said, "No peeping. Promise."

I stood up and started to walk away, when he asked, "Hey, Em?"

"Yeah?" I asked as I turned to look at him.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"Of course...why do you ask?" I questioned.

He shrugged before stating, "Just making sure you're okay. You seem like you've been through a lot already."

I scoffed with a smile. "Yeah...I think we've all been through a lot already."

He smiled as I turned away from him.

I suddenly noticed that the gun blasts were quieter now. I wondered if we succeeded in our mission, and then I wondered how many men were killed or wounded trying to accomplish it.

Before I had a chance to find out, the two men who escorted Wynn over had returned. They looked at me before one of them stated, "We've been ordered to gather all of the men who are to return to England, and move them over there."

I looked to where he was pointing and nodded. "He's going back. Be gentle with him, it's still pretty sensitive."

"Yes, ma'am..." the second one said slightly mockingly.

A voice asked, "Are you being disrespectful to our nurse, Private?"

All three of us turned to see who was speaking. It was Speirs.

The man quickly replied, "No sir. I mean- I didn't mean-"

Speirs stated, "Then get back to work and don't give her anymore grief."

"Yes sir," the man responded as they walked away to get Wynn.

I looked at Speirs and said, "Thanks."

He nodded curtly and asked, "How are you doing here?"

I licked my lips and sighed, "I've been better."

He stood closely and waited for me to continue. I wasn't sure what to say or do, as I never did when I was around him.

He finally stated, "I see that you've found another kit."

I looked down at the pack that was slung over my shoulder. I nodded and said, "I did...from that medic." I pointed to the dead man along the wall.

Speirs looked briefly, before meeting my eyes again. He held out his hand and stated, "I believe you have something that belongs to me."

I furrowed my brow and looked at him confused. "What?"

He cocked his head to the side, looking slightly annoyed. "My sidearm."

"Oh!" I opened my coat and pulled it out. I handed it to him and said, "Thank you for letting me borrow it back there..."

He nodded and started to walk away. I asked, "Lieutenant?"

H turned to look at me. I added quietly, "Thank you...for saving me back there. I-I don't know what would have-"

"You're welcome," he interjected as he turned and walked away from me.

I watched as Wynn was carried away from me, and he shouted to me, "I'll get it to her! I promise!"

I just smiled as he was walked away.

Once Wynn was out of my sight, someone else caught my attention.

Walking back with the rest of the group was Bill Guarnere. He met my gaze and I suddenly remembered our last encounter.

The last time I spoke with Bill, he was angry and hostile, maybe not directly at me, but enough to make me hesitant to approach him any time soon.

I turned to leave to gather what little belongings I had, and to resupply my new med kit. I entered the makeshift med station and set about my task.

I heard a voice behind me speak, "Hey Em."

I glanced over my right shoulder to see that Bill had followed me into the station. I asked politely, "Hey Bill. What can I do for you?"

He looked a little uncomfortable but replied, "Actually, I came to apologize."

"For what?" I asked.

He walked closer to me as he stated, "You know why. Look, I'm sorry. You caught me at a bad time. I didn't mean to lash out at you."

I nodded and said, "I know, Bill. It's okay. I'm just worried about you."

He stood there awkwardly for a moment before he nodded and eventually walked away. He stopped and asked, "So, I'll see you around, then?"

I smirked and replied, "I'll be right there behind you."

He returned the smirk. He walked away to rejoin his friends across the courtyard.

Once he walked away, I spotted Winters talking to Strayer. When Strayer walked away from him, Winters met my gaze. He smiled at me, and I returned the gesture.

Winters didn't come over to see or talk to me. I watched as he approached the Armored Division that rolled into our area. He climbed up onto a tank that Nixon sat on, and they rolled on down the road together.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the tanks. I started to approach them, in hopes that this was Sarah's unit.

As I neared some of the stationary tanks, I asked one of the operators, "Do you have a field nurse in this unit?"

The man replied, as he pointed across the yard, "Yeah. She's somewhere over there."

I smiled up at the man. "Thank you very much!"

I found myself walking quickly across the yard, searching for their nurse. If Sarah was here, I wanted to see her before we were separated again.

As I rounded the corner, I could hear her voice. I stopped in my tracks when my eyes fell upon her.

She finished patching up one of her troopers and stood up. She placed something into her pack and looked up.

Our eyes locked. We smiled and broke down into happy tears as we rushed towards each other, embracing one another tightly. Our tears streamed down our dirty faces.

Finally, I pulled away and asked, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and replied, "I'm okay. Some of the men had a couple of cuts, but we're okay."

She looked down at me and spotted the dried blood that crusted over on my uniform and hands. Her eyes grew wide as she asked, "What happened to you?"

I glanced down at my uniform and hands. "It's not my blood. I'm okay."

She nodded and asked, "How was the jump?"

I scoffed, "I landed in water, had to fight off some of the enemy with the help of-"

She cut me off, "Are you okay? Did you lose all of your stuff? I don't see any of your equipment."

I pulled her into a half hug as we started to walk together. I explained, "I had to dump my stuff, or I would have drowned otherwise. I'm okay, really. I had some help."

She nodded and asked, "Have you seen Gordon yet?"

I shook my head as I replied, "I haven't seen many from my unit. We were dropped all over the place."

Before she could ask anymore questions, a man shouted, "Sarah! We're moving out! Let's go!"

I looked at her sadly, asking slightly shocked, "You're leaving already?"

She stated just as sadly, "Yeah. We have a lot of ground to cover before we get to our final destination."

I questioned, "Where's that?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'm not sure. They don't tell me much, really."

I said, "Probably for your protection."

She shrugged. I walked her to her unit and asked, "Have you seen or heard from anyone else?"

She shook her head and stated, "Just you."

I sighed and said, "Me either."

"I hope they're okay," Sarah mused.

I nodded in agreement. She hugged me again and whispered, "I have to go now. I love you. If you see Gordon, tell him that I remember."

"Remember what?" I asked confused.

She blushed and stated, "He'll know what it means. Just tell him if you see him."

I kissed her cheek and promised, "I will. Be safe and write to Darla."

She replied as she pulled away from me, "I will."

Sarah waved to me with a sad smile. She turned away from me and ran to catch up to her unit as they pulled out of Brecourt.

Seeing Sarah brought mixed emotions to my heart and mind. I think the biggest reason for that was knowing that everything was unknown. Where would she go? Would she make it through unharmed? All of these questions echoed inside but in order to keep my sanity, I quickly quieted them.

If I were to survive, I needed to focus on my men as well as my wellbeing. I had to believe that she would find a way to keep alive or rely on those around her. Truth be told, I prayed that she would be smart enough to figure it out on her own.


	29. Alone Together

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* * *

Later that night, I found myself writing Darla another letter. I knew this would become a habit or even a way to escape, if only for a moment, while pouring out my feelings and emotions without burdening those around me.

The last thing that any of the men would need from me is to hear my sobs and complaints. Those would be for Darla, so that she could possibly bring me back to the present by any means necessary.

I had found a small semi-hidden spot on a hilltop overlooking Brecourt Manor. I could see fires in the distance. They were stunning yet terrifying to see. I stopped writing my letter to watch them as they lit up the midnight sky.

I suddenly tore my gaze from the blaze to scan the area around me and looked upon each man who was near me. I came to realize at that moment that even if I felt alone, I had people surrounding me feeling the same way as me.

It was a bittersweet comfort to know that I was never truly alone. My eyes fell upon Winters. I watched as he gazed upon the fires. He never saw me, but I could spot his regrets and remorse from whatever happened at Brecourt Manor.

After he turned and headed back into town, I turned back to the blaze, then I looked up. I could see Polaris, the North star that Webster had shown me. I smiled as I remembered him, but suddenly felt the tears running down my cheeks. I prayed that wherever he was at this moment, he was safe. I hoped he was alive and that we'd be reunited because I missed him dearly.

I barely slept that night. I couldn't relax enough to allow myself a moment's rest. Each time my eyes started to close, a noise or voice would awaken me. Feeling frustrated at the lack of sleep, I just stood up and began to walk about the camp.

There were a quite a few sentries guarding the camp, so I didn't feel nervous as I made my rounds.

As I roamed the grounds aimlessly, I heard a voice speak to me from behind. "Nurse Banks? What are you doing up at this hour?"

I jumped, slightly startled. I turned around to confront my sudden visitor. The silhouette was familiar to me. "I-I couldn't sleep, sir."

Stepping into the moonlight, Speirs eyed me. "Why is that, Nurse Banks?"

I bit the inside of my lip, trying to hide my nervousness from him. "I don't know."

"Yet you felt that you were safe enough to roam the camp at this hour? Do you realize that one of the sentries could shoot you should they think you're the enemy?" He stepped towards me as he spoke, causing a little fear in me.

I stammered, "I-I d-didn't think-"

"That's right. You didn't think," he cut me off.

I furrowed my brow at him, suddenly angry with him. "What is wrong with me taking a walk about the camp? I'm not leaving it nor am I going so far to the edge of our camp to be mistaken as the enemy!"

He raised an eyebrow at my sudden voice. Suddenly, a small smirk graced his lips before he killed it. "Get back to bed, Nurse Banks. We move out in the morning."

Since he was in no hurry to walk away from me, I asked, "Why do you do that?"

He held my gaze. "Do what, Nurse Banks?"

"Bully me," I replied softly.

He glanced over his left shoulder before returning his gaze to me. "I do not bully you."

"Yes, you do. You do every time we're alone together...at least...most of the time..." I was confused by his behavior. Each time I thought I had him figured out, he did something else to confuse and surprise me.

He sighed. "I treat you the way that I treat everyone-"

I cut him off, "No, you don't and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop saying that when we both know that it's not true."

He chuckled before replying, "I'm amazed that you've suddenly found a little backbone, Nurse Banks. I wonder where you found it."

I gritted my teeth before muttering, "Your constant teasing and bullying probably caused it."

Smiling, he nodded. "I'll escort you back to your bunk."

I sighed heavily, realizing that I had, once again, lost this battle with him. I walked beside him towards the makeshift med station.

When we reached the edge of the med station, he whispered, "Just when I thought I had you figured out, Nurse Banks."

I glanced up at him. "Excuse me?"

He towered over me. "You're not the meek mouse that I thought you were."

Just before he was about to leave, I suddenly asked, "Lieutenant Speirs?"

He stopped. Looking at me, he waited for me to continue.

"How did you find out about what happened between me and Sergeant Jefferson?" I asked quietly.

Speirs looked at me, a small glimmer of sadness or remorse in his eyes. He nodded slightly as he said, "Good night, Nurse Banks."

I stood there and watched as he walked away from me without answering my question. I sighed heavily, shaking my head at that man.

Maybe Darla was right. Perhaps he didn't have a heart that could love.


	30. Rumors

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* * *

The next morning, I woke to the sounds of trucks driving away from Brecourt. I blinked a few times as I slowly sat up from my sleeping spot.

As I stood up, adjusting my things over my shoulder, I spied my unit assembling across the courtyard.

I began to meander my way over to join them when I caught a glimpse of Speirs out of the corner of my eye. I suddenly stopped to look over at him.

He was staring at me. Within moments of meeting his gaze, he quickly adverted his look to a trooper standing beside him.

I stood there wondering what Speirs's problem with me was.

A group of troopers standing close to me were talking and their conversation caught my attention.

"I don't know about you, but he scares the hell out of me," one of the men stated.

His friend noticed me looking at Speirs and asked, "What do you think, Nurse Banks?"

I turned my gaze to them. "About what?"

The one who noticed me nodded towards Speirs. "What do you think about him? Does he scare you?"

"Why would he scare me?" I asked. I began to wonder if everyone could tell that I secretly was, as everyone else was, but I tried to hide it.

The first trooper asked, "Did you hear what he did on D-Day?"

I shook my head. As far as I knew, he had jumped like the rest of us and rescued me. I didn't know what he did after he escorted me to the med station we set up. "No, what did he do?"

The man stated, "He gave a group of German POWs some cigarettes and then gunned them down in cold blood."

My breath hitched. "He didn't..."

"I know a guy who saw it. Says it was the scariest thing he'd seen! Said the look on his face was pure evil," the man replied.

I glanced back over to Speirs.

The man's friend joked, "Don't take any cigarettes from him! You never know what he might do!"

As the men began to laugh at their joke, I peered over my shoulder at them.

Suddenly, a voice barked from behind us, "Are you men ready to go?"

The laughter stopped within seconds. All three of us turned to see who was shouting at us. It was Lieutenant Speirs. He eyed the men as he waited for a reply.

The men nodded after saluting to their CO.

Speirs never blinked at them. "Then get into formation, we're heading out."

The men took a couple steps forward, and Speirs asked, "Smoke?"

All of our eyes were wide as we stared at the cigarettes he was extending out to us. The men didn't speak a word. They rushed away from the two of us. Speirs placed his pack of cigarettes back into his coat pocket and he looked at me. "Nurse Banks, don't you have something better to do than to encourage my men to gossip?"

I was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"They seemed to be enjoying your company and your conversation a little too much," Speirs stated.

My mouth fell open. I couldn't believe that he was pinning this on me. I clarified, "Just so you are aware, Lieutenant, I wasn't gossiping with your soldiers. They asked me a question and I replied."

"If that is true, why were they laughing?" he questioned me.

I stayed firm. "They made a joke."

"But you didn't think it was funny," he pointed out. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't."

Speirs eyed me as he asked, "What was the joke?"

I didn't want to get sucked into this battle, so I stated, "I have to get back to my unit before they move out."

I started to walk passed him when he stopped me by grabbing my left upper arm. I stopped and looked down at his hold on my arm. "Please let go of me."

He stated, "I expect an answer, Nurse Banks."

I turned to face him, and he released me as I stood in front of him, arms crossed over my chest and I was glaring into his brooding eyes. "I don't think you should know."

"Why is that?" he questioned, looking slightly amused and frustrated.

I replied, "Because it was a private conversation between me and your men. If they wanted to tell you what the joke was about, they would have shared it with you, but they didn't because you are scary!"

"I'm scary?" he repeated, clearly amused.

I sighed and asked, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" he questioned as he extended his arm out in front of him.

We walked through the small camp towards my unit as I clarified, "Is the rumor about you true?"

"What rumor?" he asked, avoiding my gaze.

I hesitated a moment before asking, "Did you really kill a group of German POWs?"

We stopped just out of my unit's hearing range. All eyes were on us, but they couldn't hear what we were saying.

When he didn't reply right away, I turned my gaze away from the terrified members of my unit to look into his dark eyes. He didn't take his eyes off of the men from my company. I asked, "Is it true?"

Lieutenant Speirs finally turned his dark eyes to me. "What do you think?"

Before I could answer, he walked away from me. I watched him as he walked further away from me.

A new voice came from behind me. "Are you out of your mind?"

I tore my gaze off of the fleeting Speirs to see who was speaking to me. My eyes met those familiar ones of Bill Guarnere and Joe Toye. "What are you talking about?"

The two exchanged glances before Guarnere stated, "He's crazy, Em!"

I looked between the two of them. "Why do you say that?"

"Haven't you heard?" Bill asked.

Finally, I asked a question of my own. "Do you believe what's being said about him?"

Guarnere looked at Toye who spoke, "We talked to a guy who was there, Em. He shot those prisoners."

I sighed and shook my head. "Okay, if you say it happened, I guess I don't have any reason to disbelieve you."

They looked relieved to hear those words. I couldn't help but wonder if it was true or not, regardless of everything that I was hearing about him. As I stepped towards them, they wrapped their arms around my shoulders.


	31. Pinned Down

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We were ordered to move out of the farmhouse that sat just beyond the fields of Brecourt Manor and towards Saint Come du Mont where we would be resupplied and given new orders from Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ballard.

We would have to travel through Vierville in order to reach Saint Come du Mont. As we marched onward, more and more of our men joined the fray. The men joining us from all across the peninsula would share their horror stories of being outnumbered and surrounded by the enemy. Each story was slightly different and each had the men finding more friendly faces as they headed in one direction or another, hoping that it would lead them to their unit.

Each time we saw the familiar uniforms of our men, my heart raced as I hoped Webster would be one of those men, but so far, he wasn't accounted for.

The words he last spoke to me echoed in my memory. _"I'll find you!"_

I was so lost in my own mind thinking about Webster and everything that has happened to me in the past twenty-four hours that I didn't hear Bull approach me until he asked, "How are you holding up, Em?"

I blinked out of my trance and looked over at him. "I'm okay. How are you?"

Bull pulled his lit cigar stub out of his mouth and stated, "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

I nodded and started to watch my feet as we walked. I was about to ask another polite question, but Bull interrupted me.

"How are you really holding up?" he asked, looking at me with concern.

I glanced up to see his face. I looked away to focus on where I was walking. I explained, "I'm not sure...I'm worried."

He nodded. "That's to be expected."

"Is it?" I questioned. "I mean, I'm not really worried about myself. I keep thinking about everyone else."

Bull replied simply, "It is."

I stated, "I keep thinking about the girls and the others that we haven't found yet... Do you think they are okay?"

Bull replaced his cigar in his mouth. "They'll be all right, Em. Just like you."

I smiled slightly as he walked away from me to rejoin his friends. I hoped that he was right, but I wasn't convinced. How could one be so confident in the midst of a war?

Suddenly, gunfire was ringing through the air. I heard someone shout the order, "Find some cover!"

We ran for the hedgerows and their trenches as quickly as possible. I jumped in next to Christenson and Boyle. Our spot was on the edge of the hedgerow trench and the ditch from the road that was nearby.

We waited for further orders. Shouts eventually made their way towards us, "Sniper! Stay down!"

I bit my lip as I waited for the next move, growing anxious. I pushed myself further in the trench as I could with each snap of a bullet.

Christenson was lying next to me in the tight trench. He looked up at me and whispered, "We're going to be okay, Em! Just watch!"

I looked over at him and whispered back with my shaky voice, "I hope you're right."

Christenson glanced down the trench and stated, "I can see Gordon setting up his BAR now. He's going to hammer that sniper!"

I was too scared to look up to watch Gordon. I just placed my hands over my helmet, hoping it would be over soon.

Unfortunately for us, we were pinned down for the night. No one slept due to the sniper that we couldn't locate. I wondered if this was a small group of snipers that were holding the small town we were passing through.

As the night slowly moved on, Boyle asked, "What is that smell? Chris, did you just break wind and not warn me?"

Christenson glanced over to Boyle. "What the hell are you talking about? That's not me!"

I took a slow inhale and coughed at the stench. I peered through the hedgerow to the other side and saw the cause. I muttered under my breath, "Bodies."

Christenson asked, "What?"

I pointed carefully at the hedgerow. "There are dead bodies on the other side of our hedgerow."

"That's what's causing the smell?" Boyle questioned as he peered through alongside of us.

I explained, "Who knows how long they have been there...but they are starting to bloat already. We're going to need to bury them soon."

Winters crawled through the trenches to check on all of us. When he reached us, he asked, "How are you guys holding up?"

Christenson stated, "We're all right, but sir? We have a slight problem."

Without explaining, Christenson just pointed through the small opening in the hedgerow to show Winters what we were talking about.

Winters nodded and stated, "We've got some scouts out in the town now, taking care of our little problem, alongside Fox Company. Once we get the situation under control, we'll start burying the bodies."

I nodded and asked, "Would it be all right if I catalog the dead sir? Assuming they are ours?"

Winters gave me a sympathetic look before nodding. "I think that's a good idea to keep a record of the dead. We can send it back to Battalion for letters home."

I nodded as I watched him crawl back down the trench where he came from.


	32. Burying the Dead

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When morning finally approached, the world around us was quiet. None of us slept and we were being ordered to move out of the trenches. Fox Company, alongside our few scouts, managed to secure the quaint village.

We stood up and the men began to dig the grave for the bodies. Most were civilians, most likely from the village we just liberated, but there were a couple of our troopers too.

As the men began digging and separating the bodies, I started to search for dog tags. I pulled out my notebook and looked down at the page. I saw a set of dog tags already, with the first name in the book.

_Palmer, Thomas - 1945, June 6_

I swallowed and held back tears. I remembered Thomas everyday. It was hard to remember those final moments with him.

A voice behind me cleared and I blinked back to reality. I focused on my task and pulled the first set of dog tags off of the first body. I began to write the name in my book and placed the tags in my bag as I continued down the line.

The smell of the dead was more than most could handle. I heard some of the men vomiting by the hedgerows from it. I finished writing the six names into my book and closed it, replacing it into my bag.

I walked over to the man getting sick from the smell. "Are you okay?"

Muck turned to look at me. "How can you stand the smell, Em?"

"I don't like the smell, Muck," I replied as I offered him some toilet paper to wipe his mouth off.

He stood up and took the paper from me. "Well, you're the only one who hasn't turned green from all of this...why is that?"

I exhaled as I explained, "I guess it's because I have more experience with death than any of you."

Without allowing him to continue to question me, I just walked away from him. I found a small spot away from everyone and just watched as they finished burying the dead.

As I sat far away from the rest of the men, I switched notebooks and started to write to Darla.

_Dear Darla,_

_ Right now, my unit is burying the dead citizens of a village we came across in the night. Among them were some of our soldiers. Who knows how long they had been there, as they've begun to bloat and smell. _

_ One of the men in my unit asked me why I can tolerate the smell. I just told him that I've been around death before. I fear that I can't tell them what I've been through for fear they will change their outlook of me._

_ However, seeing all of this death around me and the waves of emotion that I'm feeling, I need to tell someone and I would rather it be you. See, the truth of the matter is...well...complicated. My dad died helping our allies in Europe in the first war, just before it ended. I never met him as I was born shortly before he left. My mother received word of his death when I was three, almost immediately after mailing him a letter filled with love and happy stories of what was happening at home. She took her own life that night._

_ After my mother's death, I was alone in that house for weeks with her body. It wasn't until the neighbor came over one morning to check on her, did she discover the scene. The smell alerted her to my mother's death._

_ I was taken from that home and placed into a wayward home for girls several towns over. That is where I was no longer the happy child that my mother once loved. I know you and the rest of the girls would be upset with me for never speaking of my past or my childhood, but here it is...at least some of it. _

_ In that wayward home, I saw a lot of death. The girls who lived there were like slaves for the headmaster and if we disobeyed, we were severely punished. I couldn't keep the few friends of mine alive, so I ran away. I had lived on the streets, always running away from those who were looking for me. I was 14 when I first started taking schooling with a nurse's station in Michigan. I made a close friend who let me stay with her until I was old enough to be on my own. _

_ The people who ran that wayward home never stopped looking for me. I was the one who got away, the one who knew the truth and the only one who was alive that could bring them to their knees. So when the opportunity arrived to volunteer for this war, I jumped at the chance to get away from those that I knew were still looking for me._

_ I know that I didn't tell you much about my life before I met you, but you knew that I was capable of taking care of myself and those around me. I'm sorry that I never told you the whole story, and it's taking something like this to bring it out of me._

_ I hope you can forgive me, and I promise that if I make it home from this war, I will sit down with you over a cup of coffee and some pie and I will tell you everything! _

_ But for now...just know that I love you. I always have, and I hope you still love me after you get this letter._

_ Forever yours,_

_ Emmeline_

Now that we had Fox Company, who joined us shortly after we finished burying the dead, we would begin to make our trek together towards Saint Come du Mont. The march wouldn't be so long as it had been to get to Vierville, and now that we had a full other company with us, we weren't expecting any resistance.

We walked into the square of Saint Come du Mont by late afternoon. Lieutenant Welsh ordered all of us, "Get some rest now! We'll be heading out soon!"

The men sat down on the steps of buildings and some by the monument that sat in the center of the square.

I watched as more men appeared in the square from their solo trek to the nearest town, and were happy to see familiar faces. I scanned each one of them, hoping to see Webster.

A familiar voice behind me asked, "Looking for someone?"

_"I'll find you._"

I turned around and saw a smiling Webster standing there. He took his helmet off and placed it under his arm, waiting for me to respond.

My heart was beating so fast and I could feel the tears of happiness flooding my eyes as I raced over to him. When I reached him, I jumped into his arms, embracing him hard.

I heard the sound of his helmet crashing to the ground as he returned the embrace. He held me tight as he asked, "Are you all right?"

I replied, "I was so worried about you! I thought about you every day, hoping that you were okay! I watched the star you showed me, Polaris, at night and prayed you'd find me like you promised!"

Webster released me to look into my eyes. He chuckled, "I'm okay, Em. I'm so glad that you're still alive!"

I asked, "What happened to you?"

He replied, "Well, I landed alone in some of the flooded fields just behind Utah Beach and met up with some of the men from the 82nd. We worked together to try and find our way to a unit."

I thought about where I had landed, and realized that it could have been in the same vicinity as Webster, but there was no way of saying for sure. I still had my rescuer and I still managed to get to my destination, whereas Webster hadn't.

Webster must have seen my thoughts running through my mind as he asked, "Shall we join the rest of the men?"

I picked up his helmet and nodded. "Sure. Here you go."

He took his helmet from me and started towards the men, who were busy showing off their souvenirs.

I felt a little uncomfortable as we waited for orders. I scanned the area, wondering who else would be joining our group, but it was just Fox Company and us.

It wasn't long after that Lieutenant Welsh came outside of the building Battalion had set up and shouted, "Easy Company! Gather around!"

The men slowly made their way over to where a frazzled looking Welsh stood. He stated, "It's going to be dark soon. I want light and noise discipline. That means no talking, no smoking and no grabbing fanny with the man in front of you, Luz!"

Someone asked, "What's the plan, Lieutenant?"

Welsh replied, "We're taking Carentan. Companies F and D will be joining us."

"That sounds like fun!" someone in the back joked.

With the mention of Dog Company joining us, my breath grew unsteady. I knew the reason was because of Lieutenant Speirs. I bit my lip thinking about possibly having to deal with him so soon.

Hoobler walked in front of our group and stated, "Lieutenant...I'll be point."

Welsh acknowledged this and ordered us to follow.


	33. Rigor Mortis

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The plan should have been easy for each Company, but for some reason the training from officers in the other Companies were lacking for night training.

We continually lost track of Fox Company. They were leading the march through the marshes and swamps, and each time they would hit a rough patch in the path, they'd take a while getting through. Once they were through, they hauled tail as fast as they could away from that position, clearly ignoring the fact that the rest of us still had to get through it.

When we cleared the marsh and it's bordering hedges, we had lost Fox Company once more. I watched as Winters looked frustrated but to his credit, he kept it together in front of all of us. He whispered something to Welsh who in turn spoke to Lipton.

Lipton slowly jogged passed all of us, ordering, "Dig in guys. Get those machine guns ready. We're going to be here for a while until we can track down F Company."

Some of the men groaned. Sisk murmured, "Again?"

It didn't take us very long to get situated. As we waited, Lipton sat next to me, Gordon and Christenson. Within moments of him sitting next to us, a nearby German MG 42 began shooting a few feet above our heads, causing every one of us to lower our bodies to the ground.

Lipton ordered, "Gordon, set up your gun facing in the direction of that gun. We may have to tell them that we're not defenseless out here."

Gordon rearranged his weapon and in the dead silence, he loaded the machine gun by pulling on the bolt twice. I cringed as the sound of the loading echoed loudly in the dead night.

Lipton scoffed, "Geez, you could hear that half a mile away!"

We waited for the next shot from the MG 42, but it never came. Lipton whispered, "Let's hope that was enough to scare them for now."

Soon, word came to us where Fox Company was waiting up ahead. So, we packed up and headed onwards. The night seemed to never end for us and the lack of sleep was beginning to impact me as well as some of the others.

We followed the path that was set for us, and eventually, our path took us to the right.

Suddenly, our lead scout Carson stopped dead in his tracks. Every man behind him stopped, some letting out a startled gasp.

I cautiously walked behind some of the men to see what was going on.

There, next to one of the trees, sat a German soldier with his rifle aimed directly at all of us.

Carson whispered, "Why doesn't he shoot and just get it over with?"

I slowly walked over to the German soldier and noticed that he wasn't moving, let alone breathing. I heard the protests from the men behind me but once I reached the man, I examined him closer.

"What is it, Nurse Banks?" Winters asked from behind me.

I turned to meet his concerned gaze. "He's dead, sir. Rigor mortis set in a while ago."

Winters looked at the dead man. "All right. Let's get moving. Fox Company is waiting for us."

I nodded and started to walk past him when he stopped me. "And Emmeline?"

I glanced up at him. "Yes?"

"Don't do that again. He could have shot you had he been alive." The order was simple but stern enough that I understood all of the emotion hidden behind the words.

I nodded. "Yes sir. Sorry."


	34. Second Chance

We finally arrived to a railroad cross roads. We would hold position here until morning when we would make the assault onto Carentan. We settled into are fortified positions with ease.

I pulled out my notebook and began writing another letter to Darla. The moon gave just enough light for me to be able to make out what I was doing.

I stopped writing when I saw Ramirez stumbling towards Tipper. The closer he got to us, the easier it was to see that he was carrying bazooka rounds. My heart stopped.

I put my notebook back into my coat pocket and watched the two of them.

Tipper hissed, "What are you doing? Put the pins back into those rounds!"

I sat up straight at the sound of that order.

Ramirez extended his arms with the armed bazookas towards Tipper. "I don't know where they are! I tossed them away!"

Tipper spat, "Well find them! You're so jittery and shaky, if you drop them now, even at that height, those rockets will blow us all up, crazy!"

Ramirez looked terrified. "I'm sorry...you said you didn't want a second wasted if we were attacked!"

"If we were attacked! We haven't been attacked yet! God! Find those pins!" Tipper ordered as he started to look around on the ground for the safety pins.

I crawled around the area helping them look. I was scared as we searched. I found one of them and whispered, "Tipper! I found one!"

Tipper crawled over to me. "Good! I've got the other one! Now we got to put them back into the rounds...So help me God, I'll kill him!"

I handed him the pin and watched as he walked back over the shaking Ramirez. Once the pins were replaced into the rockets, Tipper took the rounds away from Ramirez.

I let out a sigh of relief once Tipper gave the all clear. I sat back down and pulled out my notebook, writing to Darla about what had just happened.

As I finished scribbling into the notebook, I glanced up as I placed it back into my pocket. Across from our position, was D Company. I couldn't make out a lot of the men from where they were set up, but upon examining the silhouettes, I knew who was Speirs.

He was the only on standing up, pacing along the line. I shook my head as I recalled the rumors of Speirs. Even though people that I trusted had told me that the rumors were true, I had a small glimmer of hope that they weren't.

I looked up into the sky and saw the faint glow from Polaris as the clouds began to roll in. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes.

I felt hands on my shoulders shaking me awake. "Emmeline. Wake up!"

I blinked a few times, allowing my tired eyes to adjust to the low light. "What?"

"It's time to get up. We're moving out," Webster whispered as he stopped shaking me.

I sighed. "What time is it?"

"0530. Come on. Let's go," he whispered as he extended his hand down to me.

I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. I muttered, "I feel like I just fell asleep."

"You did," he stated as he brushed some of the dirt from me.

"I...what?" I asked, still half asleep.

He chuckled. "You did just fall asleep. I've been next to you all night."

"Oh..." I didn't remember him being next to me, but clearly he had.

Once we were up and our things picked up, we started forward down the lane towards Carentan. It was going to be a busy day, but I hoped that we would have an easy time getting into Carentan.

Webster stated, "I overheard some of the officers stating that Carentan is being held by one small unit."

"Are you sure you heard that right?" I questioned.

"Yeah, why?" he asked as we walked.

I shrugged. "I thought this town was as important to them as it was to us."

"It is," he replied.

I furrowed my brow at him. "Then why would they leave a small unit to hold it? Wouldn't they be expecting us to attack them?"

Webster shrugged. "Who knows? I was just sharing what I heard."

I nodded but said nothing more on the matter. I felt as though I might be over thinking the situation, and in the process, annoying Webster who was just trying to be friendly.

We didn't have far to walk as we had camped on the outskirts of town. When we reached the crest of the hill, Winters had ordered us to stop so he could look around.

We crouched on the road, out of sight, waiting on orders. Winters whispered to Welsh before looking down at his watch.

I watched as Welsh led the first platoon over the hill. Because I was in the back of the group, I couldn't see what was happening, but I could hear it. Within seconds of Welsh and first platoon disappearing over the hill, gunfire opened up all around us.

The bullets snapped around everyone. I lowered myself further onto the road, but suddenly felt hands grabbing me, pulling me into the ditch near the road.

I started to protest, but stopped when Webster shielded himself over me.

Muffled orders were being shouted, and I couldn't make them out. Soon enough, they were louder and clearer, as if they were above us. "Move! Get out of that ditch! We've got men getting killed! Move!"

Webster cursed under his breath as he reluctantly stood up to follow his orders.

I hesitated to get up, and Winters looked over at me, somewhat surprised to see me. "Stay down!"

I nodded, feeling my entire body shaking with fear and adrenaline. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know where to go, if I should go anywhere, but with his order to stay down, I was glad to follow.

When the bullets seemed to be gone from the road, I slowly peeked out from the ditch. I could hear a lot of gunfire and grenade explosions. I started to get up and head down into the town, when I heard protests behind me.

"Nurse Banks! You stay down!" the order came from behind me.

I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. I could see Nixon and Strayer overlooking the mission. I shouted back, "I have to do my job! I'm sorry!"

Without giving a second thought to their protests, I continued down the road. With each step that I took, I could see the bodies on the road. I knew they were dead just by looking at them. I wanted to stop and look them over, take their dog tags for my book, but I knew that I was in the open. Even though the fighting seemed to be focused solely in the town, I didn't want to risk it, so I kept moving.

I rounded the corner to the right and continued into town. The ground shook under me, causing me to stop and brace myself on a nearby building.

"They got us zeroed! Get out of the street!" Lipton's voice echoed.

My heart raced to the point that the bile in my stomach was slowly making it's way up my throat. I forced it to stay down as I continued forward. I took a step forward and saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I froze, quickly looking over to see what caught my attention.

Huddled in the corner of the street against the building was Blithe. I cautiously approached him. "Albert?"

"Emmeline? Is that you?" he asked, eyes wide.

I bent down in front of him. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

He didn't look at me. "I can't see! Oh God! I can't see!"

"Okay, calm down! Let's get you out of here," I cooed.

"I can't see!" he shouted again.

I reached out for his hands but he pulled away from me. "Blithe...I need you to work with me. You need to calm down!"

"I can't see, Emmeline!" he shouted at me again.

I sighed and slapped his cheek a few times. "I know! I heard you the first time! Let's get you to the doc!"

He stopped shouting about his lack of vision long enough for me to help him up. He cried, "Why can't I see?"

I started to help him walk away from the area. "I don't know."

We didn't make it very far when the ground shook so violently that it threw us to the road. Landing hard on my stomach, all of the wind in my lungs escaped and I felt my helmet fall off. When the ground stopped shaking, I propped myself onto my elbows and quickly glanced about the area. I could see several German troopers running behind buildings and in alleys.

I swallowed, praying that they weren't going to attack us.

I heard soft cries coming from next to me. I looked over at Blithe. "Are you okay?"

He sniffled and nodded, not saying a word.

I pushed myself off of the ground and bent next to him. "Come on, Albert! I need you to work with me! The enemy is moving in! I need you to get up!"

Blithe surprised me by cooperating with me. He stood up and I tossed his arm over my shoulder as we started to make a run for a safe spot.

We rounded the corner and stopped dead in our tracks. Standing before us, clearly startled by our sudden appearance was a German trooper. He stared at the two of us, aiming his weapon at us.

The German looked me over a couple of times as he approached us. I muttered to Blithe, "Stay quiet, Albert. Okay?"

The German stood in front of us and looked at the dazed Blithe before turning his stunned blue eyes onto me. I swallowed, holding my breath. He reached out for me and held my blonde hair.

He fiddled with my hair for a while before meeting my gaze. Suddenly he glanced down at my pack. He raised an eyebrow at the medic insignia before returning his eyes to me.

My heart raced as he stood over me. I held his gaze, unsure of what else to do. He finally stepped aside for us to continue onwards.

As I passed by him, I bit my lip and whispered, "Danke."

When we passed by him, I released a heavy sigh. Blithe asked, "What happened?"

"We've been given a second chance, Albert," I stated.

"We were stopped, weren't we?" he asked.

I whispered, "Yeah."

We continued towards the back line in silence.


End file.
